Cold
by inosentengtabonista
Summary: ItaSaku When a mission goes wrong, Sakura faces a dilemma that challenges everything she believed in. To ensure the safety of a friend, she forfeits her freedom to the elder Uchiha, and experiences him in a way that changes her life forever. R&R!
1. Chapter 1: The Mission

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Disclaimer: **All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's Notes: **Let me emphasize here that the events stated are unreliable for information on the anime.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Mission**

Cold, calculating sharingan eyes started to observe the movement of the sun before scanning the horizon for any sign of the ANBU. When he saw none, he turned to the sharklike man who was busy grooming his samehada to even pay attention to their plan. He sighed inwardly. His companion would always be like this, busy and seemingly thrilled for the imminent bloodshed. Going back to their plan again, he searched for flaws, and holes that might undermine the attainability of their scheme. If it all worked…

He quickly dismissed his thoughts and walked over to his companion.

"Kisame."

The sharklike Hoshigake stood up and put on his samehada. His eyes shined with bloodlust and excitement as he walked over to the Sharingan user, who unceremoniously put on his straw hat then tilted his head towards him.

"It's time."

More than a hundred miles away, a certain pink-haired kunoichi woke up from her train of thoughts.

* * *

_I must have been daydreaming._

The leaves in the foliage of the forest rustled peculiarly as the trees hovered ahead. The trees were so high and the foliage so thick that only stray rays of sunlight were able to fight their way through the black-green canopy. The wind howled quietly, penetrating every pore and thought, causing a certain kunoichi to hold back a tousled set of stray cherry-colored hair from irritating her eyes. Haruno Sakura leaped from tree to tree, then landed on a crouch.

Dark clouds started to build up the starlit sky, providing cover for the jounin team but shrouding their vision at the same time. The only one that wasn't fettered by the flickering dark was Neji who was in front of the group, eyeing the terrain with a silver gaze.

The wind turned cold by midnight. Standing beneath the moon-cast shadow of foliage, Sakura rubbed her arms hastily, feeling queasy and uncomfortable as the temperature dropped. Coldness enveloped her body and stole her focus, as the hair behind her neck stood up. The tranquility of it all was almost unbearable. She wasn't usually like this during missions, unless…_there is something here that shouldn't have been here…_ There was a sense of foreboding that surrounded her but she quickly overlooked her thoughts. There was not much time for silly intuitions in a mission that required minimal efforts. And yet she could not afford to get _lackadaisical. _

Not far to her right, she felt a familiar gaze boring deeply into her, causing unnecessary vigilance in her. She slowly touched the careful _bun_ on her head for a weapon . As she titled her head towards her right, she caught Naruto absent-mindedly staring at her as he stood on his spot by the tree branch, as if intently studying a specimen. She sighed, visibly relaxed. Warmth blossomed inside her.

Realizing it a little too late, Naruto grinned at her sheepishly before scratching the back of his head in the usual Naruto-ish way. The soon-to-be-self-declared-Hokage had always been overprotective of her, ever since their team split up, with Sasuke going to Orochimaru, and going back again. He was the only one who understood the deepest part of her, her sufferings and pain, and he willingly shared it with her. With Naruto, she had never been alone. So when Sasuke came back to Konoha, to the team and to her, he gradually loosened his reins on her and became the glue that kept them altogether.

She was forever indebted to him.

She looked back at him, the kind that told him _everything was all right, and it was going to be fine _as she usually did before they went on a mission together. Then she gave him her sweetest smile.

Neither of them knew that it was going to be the_ last_ in the weeks to come.

Taking her eyes of Naruto, she scanned the area for a sign of her quarry and calculated about fifty nin strong.

"Haruno Sakura, point D. Target is in sight. Should I attack?" She whispered to the earpiece.

There was a crackling sound in her earpiece then, "Prepare to attack. Wait for signal." Sakura breathed forcefully. To her right, she felt Naruto becoming edgy and fidgety by the minute.

Sakura tensed as the moment came. Not far beyond, a _flare tag _exploded.

The battle commenced.

Their team surged into motion, dark shapes against even darker backgrounds as they flitted through shadows, engaging the newly come enemies swiftly. Steel clashed against steel, only to be followed by the more deafening sound of clashing steel against flesh. First blood was spilt. Sounds of panting, groaning, breathless whispers and commands and yells of techniques echoed in the area.

As they battled, Sakura tried to keep an eye on Naruto, knowing that getting separated might mean death with such limited visibility, at least on his part. Her friend's fight only came to him as glimmers of steal and chakra though, and soon Sakura had lost track of his position, too busy dealing with her own opponent to worry about anyone else.

The moment was shattered by the characteristic sputtering of her earpiece. The pink-haired kunoichi was halfway through delivering a wall smashing kick to an opponent when the earpiece vibrated with the distinct voice of their team leader.

"Spring. Retreat."

Sakura delivered her final blow. The man was rendered unconscious before he even hit the ground. As she turned to face a whole crowd of opponents, she wondered about two things: why there was a constant increase in the number of the opponents and why…why was she being asked to retreat by the almighty Hyuuga? And she couldn't quite place that tone of his…

Her only response was a clueless, "Why?" Although it meant questioning his command, she couldn't help but get a little curious about the situation, because it would be crazy to even think about retreating when the mission was almost done. _Unless…_

"Double-up speed. We've been ambushed."

She didn't have to wait for long to guess who did it.

"It's the Akatsuki."

Her worst predicament was just confirmed at the last minute. They were ambushed. And by S-ranked criminals at the very least. Sakura almost panicked. In fact, Sakura was panicking immensely that she failed to notice two shurikens sail past her head, a hairbreadth's width from hitting her. There were no questions now. She had to head back to where the team was.

But if it was the Akatsuki who ensnared them, then they have to be after one thing. The kyuubi.

Alarm bells resounded in her head.

There was an ongoing debate now in her mind as she exchanged blows with an endless throng of combatants. Should she return to the team, and just hope that Naruto was there? What if he wasn't? What if he was battling with the Akatsuki? Or what if he was already caught? On the other hand, if she went further, she could be unnecessarily endangering her own life by risking her neck for someone who was already safe.

And yet time was of the essence now. The time she spent mulling over her thoughts could be just enough time the Akatsuki needed to get to Naruto. As she finished the battle, Sakura climbed up to the nearest tree branch.

In utter dismay,she banged her hand against thetree trunk thatit almost bent to a right angle.

She had to make a decision and she had to make it now. If she asks Neji about it, he might end up chasing her, which, in turn, will endanger not only her but her team as well. She slumped her shoulders.

Then she remembered.

It was one of the moments Tsunade used to help rearrange her thoughts, by giving her situations to test her ability to judge and make decisions, which was a crucial part of becoming a medic-nin.

"_...then I'll come back for my team member." Sakura said, emotions transparent in her bright, brilliant emerald green eyes. "As a medic-nin, It is of utmost importance, not to mention my very duty, to be able to assist the injured in any way possible."_

_Tsunade seemed thoughtful for a minute. Then she stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. _

"_It is of firsthand importance to you, as always, your emotions." She remarked, giving Sakura a wealth of thoughts," Because of that, you have been one of the best in this field you have chosen." Sakura smiled appreciatively, then strained to hear next words. It wasn't everyday that Tsunade complimented her. "But remember Sakura, no matter what happens you always choose life over death. You have been given this special ability to heal and you are to use it to the fullest extent…" _

She vowed to always choose life over death to her mentor, Tsunade-shishou. She vowed to never let Naruto be a victim of the Akatsuki. But she had her orders.

Still, her resolve was unshaken.

If she had to risk her neck to save someone dear to her… so be it.

Without another sound, she dashed through the forest branches, searching for any clues that might lead her to Naruto. Endless mosaic of black and green flooded into view as she jumped from tree to tree. After several minutes, she still had no clue to where he was.

_Where are you? _

There were no words good enough to describe the sinking, wrenching feeling she felt at the moment. A feeling of grim lethargy settled over her, making every step she made even harder for her, as if she had to wait eons for the next step to land. She was becoming slower.

Then she stopped. She was in the branch that was almost bent into right angle due to her monstrously strong forearms, thanks to Tsunade-shishou. Without thinking, Sakura formed the necessary handseals which she could do even in her sleep.

"Genjutsu Kai!"

She did not have to work very hard to disrupt her own chakra flow in order to counter the Kori Shinchu no Jutsu (Sly Mind Affect Technique) that lured her into going around in circles. Since Sakura was an expert in controlling her own chakra, it made it a lot easier for her to deal with illusionary techniques.

She knew she was closer to where he was. All she wanted now was a battle scene.

As if the gods paid attention to her ordeals, there was a battle before her. She felt it. Masking her chakra, she slowly crept to where her friend was, and did not have to wait for long.

What she saw was the thing she dreaded most.

To her, everything happened in a slow motion. It seemed as if the battle has been decided.

Naruto laid strewn on the ground. Blood dripped from his mouth and the coughing of blood indicated that if the battle did not finish soon, things were going to go downhill for him. He wouldn't even be able to speak in that situation. A man in an Akatsuki robe was calmly standing over him, as if probing, assessing his fallen enemy. More disturbing than that was, he seemed as if he was waiting for an answer. A larger man in an Akatsuki robe, one that peculiarly had an elongated, large sword that Sakura could've sworn was almost as large as her, stood by the trees not far behind, as if confident his companion would finish the battle without him.

They were conversing in hushed tones that betrayed the magnitude of their emotions. Suddenly, in an all familiar way, Naruto spat at the man that was before him, in a defiance that indicated that there was no way he was complying to what they wanted. This action didn't seem to have elicited a reaction from the Akatsuki man other than a soft word uttered in an unspoken authority that commands sheer obedience.

"Kisame."

Sakura's eyes were probably as big as saucers by now. Somehow, she may not know how exactly but his voice gave her the chills.

The large man was suddenly in front of Naruto that it obscured her view from above.

Sakura's mind was in a state of turmoil. Acting upon impulse, she jumped into the air, exposing her cover, and, at the same time, risking her life. At that very moment, it seemed as if all reason deserted her, all good judgement, and all that she could see was a passion that she never known could have existed. Her duty to him as a medic nin, as a friend, prompted her to do something she couldn't have done had there been another circumstance other than this.

She flung herself in front of Naruto, covering his own body with hers.

"You'll have to pass through me before you take him!" Sakura looked at the men before her in the eye. "You know you can't take him right now Akatsuki." She added emphasis and disdain on the last word. "Your chakra is almost depleted." Her medic nin instincts were working furiously now. All that she knew about sharingan spilled ruthlessy.

"Your eyes are also no good at this moment. You can't use Tsukiyomi on five shinobi just to capture one, lest your eyesight would deteriorate fast." How she said it with the confidence she barely felt at the moment, she did not know. All she knew was she had to protect Naruto with every fiber of her being.

Then, adopting a gentler tone, she pleaded with them, "Let him go."

She knew she had asked the impossible. She also knew for certain that what she said about the sharingan might not even be of importance to a man she didn't really now. And she also knew that it was a best friend's life at stake.

What she said seemed to have awakened something in the sharingan user. It seemed that Sakura was lucky to even be right about the tsukiyomi. He appeared to have been amused by the facts, though his face, barely seen, betrayed none of his emotions. The larger man suddenly faded into the background again, letting the other Akatuski handle the situation on his own. This almost caused her to lose all her confidence.

"A downright lie, kunoichi," He was talking about her statement regarding the five shinobi. His face was almost entirely shrouded by the straw hat, making it impossible for her to even have a clue from his expression. "nevertheless, brave words. What do you have in mind?"

Sakura's eyes widened. _He was sharp! Of course! It was just a ploy about the five shinobi backing her up…_ And asking her what she suggested, he expertly threw her off balance. But it was highly unusual for a criminal to ask for a deal…Grudgingly, she acknowledged that he was different from the others. It seemed as if he knew and predicted her every move. Feeling like a trapped prey, she vowed to take more caution.

She seemed hopeless for a second then found another reason to suspect that she might really have the upper hand in this.

"Take me instead."

****

_**Tsuzuku **_

****

****


	2. Chapter 2: The Compromise

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Disclaimer: **All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's Notes: **Let me emphasize here that the events here are unreliable for information on the anime.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Compromise**

Cold, hard ground greeted her instead of soft, velvety pillows and downy mattresses as she roused from deep slumber. Her eyes felt unaccustomed to the nightmarish darkness that she had to squint her eyes in order to see. After a minute of agonizing readjusting to the obscurity she finally figured that she must be in a room that consisted of nothing but her.

The cell seemed as if it was actually designed for prisoners. There was no ventilation, save for a really small opening in the corner, which made it seem that it was always nighttime and also made it unbearably hard for her to breathe, as she was used to the open fields of Konoha. The ceiling was low and the door was made of iron that seemed indestructible.

_Damn._

As she tried to move, a stark realization dawned upon her: her chakra was , if not almost, totally depleted. She wondered how it happened since she was suppose to regain strength through her sleep. She massaged her throbbing temple. Now she even found it hard to think. She then tried to stand up by hanging on the walls as a support. She almost smiled when she made it, only to fall back again to where she belonged. She accidentally hit her head on the wall and scratched her hands on the rough walls and gashed her knee to the ground, which, slowly but surely, started to ooze blood out. Sakura, who was shocked and panicked at the same time, idiotically tried to mold some chakra to ease her pain, and, again, failed miserably, diminishing what little amount of chakra she had.

Feeling extremely foolish, pathetic and crazy, Sakura beat her hands to her wound which only bled some more that it almost flowed down her legs like a stream.She wanted to scream her brains out with colorful profanities that came to her like a flash of inspiration but again, failed miserably as she ended up stifling a sob and restraining herself.

As if coming back to her senses, Sakura tore a part of her skirt and hastily tried to tie it to her knee to prevent infections and to impede the blood flow.

She felt empty. Her leg gears, kunai pouch and earpiece were gone.

_Heh. _

But she had her trump card. The senbon. Sakura wryly smiled to herself then felt through her brassiere.

_Hell no. _

Empty. Bare.

_Sly._

Sakura gritted her teeth in utter frustration. If she was angry that they discovered her hidden weapon or that they actually _felt _through her body when she was asleep, she did not know. Grunting, she raised her hands to her head, massaging her temple. She was about to shut her eyes when she felt something sharp buried beneath the disheveled bun. She allowed herself a smirk, feeling really smart for the first time here.

She glanced at her surroundings as if checking for any signs of other weapons then laid flat on the ground, which caused pain to her strained back , educing the second stifled sob from her.

She closed her eyes, wondering again how she got in a situation she never even dared entertain the very thought…. then, sighing, she surrendered to the darkness as images of the previous happenings flashed back and forth in her mind . . .

She caught a glimpse of the time when she was pleading for the life of Naruto… the background looked ominously foreboding, with the thick foliage hovering over them, creating shadows as indiscernible listeners to what was to come. She was granted audience by the none other than the sharingan user who eyed her in a cool demeanor that blended perfectly with the scenery. In a nod that was almost imperceptible, he said, "You are my property as of now, kunoichi." Then he simply signalled to the sharklike man who hit her with the sword he so brusquely carried, and from there she did not know what had transpired.

Her mind suddenly drifted to near consciousness as she thought of why he had not double-crossed her or something. It must be self-perservation, she thought. Some self-sacrificing people, if given to choose between getting yourself healed or getting the goal of a particular mission, would choose to fulfill the mission.

But a hardened S-class criminal, a shinobi with an animal's instinct for self-preservation would choose otherwise. He would most likely find a reason to redirect the mission.

The sharingan user was tough and keen. Even Naruto didn't pose as much a threat to him, although when she looked closely, she saw that he had also been through some pain. She went back to how she spoke with her…there was an air of authority and poise that radiated around him. When he spoke, he was followed, when he gestured he got what he wanted, when he looked…those eyes… she wanted to flinch under his gaze. They were penetrating…probing, it was as if her soul was an open door. Could she be Sasuke's older brother? He must be. She almost forgot the name of Sasuke's brother…

And Sasuke…Sasuke had come back to Konoha after four years in the wilderness and in the lair of the Snake. He had come back a broken man who almost didn't know about his life although his strength was indisputably that of a sannin, and he was given the discipline he deserved. After so, Sasuke went back to his normal self, arguing with and provoking Naruto who easily adjusted to him, although at first he almost looked awkward. And to her, Sasuke was cool and impersonal though she seemed to have gained his respect. And when she looked at those eyes…she had seen his pain and shared it with him as the days passed…

Unknowingly, an image of Naruto suddenly flitted though her mind as if a passing thought…

* * *

The images swirled relentlessly around his head as the memory of yesterday carved perfectly into his mind.

"_We would have to take you with us right now…"_

_The words echoed in his mind, the battle forged into his senses. _

_The battle ensued for almost an hour. Even though unconscious, he remembered how that sharingan…a different form of it, captured him and took him to the depths of an abyss…the memory of it was so distressing that he unconsciously broke out a cold sweat. _

_Then as he lay there, panting, blood surging from his mouth like a raging current, an angel fell upon him as if a gift from the gods. _

"_Let him go…"_

_Those were the words, those soft words that freed him from the chains of the enemy… _

_There was a soft exchange between the angel and the enemy… His eyes ached to see his saviour, and when he reached out…when he tried to reach out…all that filled his eyes were tears, droplets of salt that only increased the agony of his open wounds, when he saw…when he realized that his saviour was a blur of red and pink… a distinct color in the dark that only one person could possess…_

…_Cherry blossoms of the spring…._

_Sakura…._

He passed out then.

* * *

"Deep lacerations along the forearms, mild concussions, odd contusions, several damaged internal organs and…hell! What bloodshot eyes!"

Naruto blinked.

Above him were several medic-nins and Neji, who looked unbelievably haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, and Tsunade, who also seemed to have aged in a short period of time.

Tsunade turned to everyone else in the room, and, as if a signal, the room was emptied in less than a minute. Everyone, except Neji, who went to Tsunade.

"Rest, Hyuuga Neji, you'll need it." She gave him a pat in the arm. "I'll inform you." Then with a nod, Neji made a quick exit.

Tsunade turned to look at Naruto who simply met her gaze unflinchingly, to tired to even preempt a conversation which he knew wasn't going to be entirely truthful. He sat up, not without groaning.

A long minute passed.

Tsunade stared hard at him. "I'm not going to beat around the bushes, Naruto." She stared at him harder as if half-expecting some sort of response. "Tell me what happened… where Sakura might be… how you came to be here."

Naruto had the impulse to act like crazy and say that he accidentally crashed his head and he can't remember a thing which was almost believable, except that he looked real sober; or say that Itachi stole his memory which was entirely rubbish; or hug Godaime Baa-chan and pretend to cry that he was so overwhelmed with the events that he didn't want to talk about it, which was too_...dramatical._

Naruto sighed. "Tsunade no baa-chan…" He started. Tsunade seemed to have lost her composure and grimaced. Naruto only grinned feebly.

"since I was hurt at that time," He scratched his head, "I can't recall a single thing except for the Akatsuki. The shark and the Uchiha."

"I'm not hearing answers," Her face was a stubborn set, the one she used in digging for information.

Naruto attempted to move forward, but his back hurt so much that he slumped back to the bed. "You have to believe me Baa-chan! I don't have a way of knowing where she might be!"

"Not exactly the words that inspire confidence, Naruto. You must be awake at that time- no, you _were _awake at that time! My medical enquiry says that you've been awake for 7 hours before you passed out." Tsunade's eyes flared. Naruto knew she was right. "That was long enough to have ended the fight, and Neji says when they found you, you were half awake, and that was maybe, half an hour after the battle ended!"

Naruto suddenly looked really tired. "Look. We're equally worried about what happened to Sakura, who is a close friend of mine and your student too. I don't have a reason to lie, now do I?" Naruto buried his head under the pillow in the most childish way ever possible. "I want to rest, Tsunade Baa-chan" He said in a muffled voice.

Tsunade sighed, as if resigned to fate, then stood up.

"I'll have a search party to look for Sakura. In the meantime, Kakashi will have to speak to you about this." There was a pause, then, "Rest well, Naruto,"

Then the door was slammed.

Naruto's chest heaved up and down when he sat up back again. He went to the window sill that overlooked the quiet sceneries. There was an old Granny with a granddaughter holding an ice cream, a couple holding hands strolling about the park and there were a group of young shinobis that sat chatting with one another. Then he thought of their fathers, older brothers or sisters that would be sent to wars and missions. He was filled with sudden dread. As much as he wanted to protect them, he had to start with himself…by protecting those he loved.

He vowed to look for Sakura as soon as he was healed. He would have to tell Sasuke.

**_Tsuzuku _**


	3. Chapter 3: The Seal

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Disclaimer: **All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's Notes: **Let me emphasize here that the events stated are unreliable for information on the anime.

**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Seal**

Cold air hummed inside the bare cell, waking a sleeping medic up with a start.

Her dreams faded away into sub-consciousness as she drifted back to the present. She wanted to feel her chakra, but it seemed that it sucked the life out of her.

And yet…

Under Tsunade's guidance, Sakura became monstrously strong and a qualified medic; after three months of training Sakura's progress made Tsunade think that Sakura has the greatest talent in Medical ninjutsu she's seen since Shizune. Kakashi even thought that Sakura might surpass her mentor.

Sakura held her hand in front of her mouth to stop herself form snickering. Ironic. She couldn't even heal a scratch.

Trying to sit up, Sakura had to crawl to the far corner to support herself. Then again, there was something eerie about the walls…

Vague footsteps shattered the eerie calm. The door bolted open, and the strawberry haired nin had the urge to run to feel the air around her if her life had not depended on it.

The man who entered was so large that he had to stoop low to enter the door. Sakura thought she must be in a doghouse.

Armed with a gigantic broadsword covered with tape, he was a real menace up close. Sakura figured that when the tape is removed, the sword becomes a real weapon for murder. The sharklike man sauntered towards her, slowly and with gigantic, light steps. Sakura felt ten feet closer to death itself.

A ferocious-seeming mouth, eyes of blackness that cannot feel the light of emotion and slimy, blue-gray complexion, the man that was called "Kisame" was to be feared. A hungry light that resided in his beady eyes clearly showed as he stopped only a body away from her. Sakura looked directly at him, daring him to move any closer. As if his response to her dare, he took a handful of her hair and forced her chin up so that he could see directly into her face.

"Could you really heal, kunoichi?" He scoffed, his voice raucous and snarling. "You don't even look human to me."

Sakura allowed herself a small, mocking smile. "So do you. Sharkface,"

She earned herself a punch right into the abdomen. Sakura doubled up, blood filled the sides of her mouth yet Kisame held on to her hair as her body was lifted from the ground. She hang limply still.

"I wanted to test your healing skills, medic." He eyed her with predatory hunger. "Why don't you heal yourself now? Heh. Nothing beats a live demonstration. "

Sakura hung uncaring. If she was going to die, she was going to die with dignity. "So this is what you do now?" She slurred in her speech. Her head was becoming lighter. "Bullying young girls who can't even fight you back?"

She earned a grand slam after that. Kisame thrashed her head to the wall, then beat her mercilessly in the face. There was a mad glint in his eyes, he seemed to be enjoying every minute of what he was doing. After he was done with her face, he kicked her in the shin and went for the door, snickering to himself.

"Let's see you heal yourself now, medic."

Sakura succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

Two jade irises fluttered open, then one half closed. Shadows scurried above her, their voices carried by the air.

"_Help…" _She breathlessly whispered to whoever cares to hear her. In front of her was a dark figure of a person crouched low. She tried to reach her hands out, lifting her own body from the floor. Unsurprisingly so, she failed.

A hand caught her shoulders before she slumped back to the floor.

Spinning wheels of sharingan carefully scanned her lithe frame. He turned to his back while he held a half conscious body of Sakura.

Kisame interrupted the silence. "She is a lying bitch, Itachi. Shall I kill her?"

"You deliberately deviated from my word. Shall I kill you too?" His voice didn't rise a decibel, but his razor-sharp tone made his Kisame exhale in utter obedience.

Kisame grunted then bolted out of the cell.

His palm was warm against her bare shoulders. Sakura wanted to hold to him, if only he wasn't an S-class murderer and a wanted fugitive who betrayed Konoha. Yet he had admonished Kisame when he endangered her life.

She felt something akin to sweet revenge.

On the contrary, it was too early to be feeling triumphant when the _person _who wanted to kidnap Naruto and supposedly slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan was right in front of her. Death seemed to have inched closer.

Despite her ailing condition and her half closed swollen eyes, she could see that he was staring straight into her.

Hard.

She wondered what was going through his mind. His crimson red eyes lingered through the flimsy, insubstantial material that barely shielded her from the cold, as if it was the first time he had seen a woman save for his mother. It traveled to her face, then to her uncovered legs and the wound which was covered by a strip of clothing. She fought the urge to do something to him that he would _never ever_ forget…

Though his Akatsuki robe covered almost half his face, she could feel the trademark Uchiha smirk. The man called "Itachi" then slowly unbuttoned the upper part of his robe with his free hand.

The inevitable was going to happen.

Sakura wanted to scream. He did not seem bothered.

"Anything you do, we can counter, " He said in his cold demeanor. Sakura shivered involuntarily. He had read through her.

"But for now." He let his words falter leaving her thoughts to ponder. Then the air in her lungs turned to ash.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "What-"

A two-fingered jab to the neck rendered her unconscious.

_Sleep…_

* * *

Consciousness seeped slowly into her.

It seemed a dream to her.

The floor was icy to her bare feet. Although the afternoon sunlight adorned her tiny cell, the cold was biting.

She wrapped her arms around her.

She slowly struggled to stand up, thinking that the walls were closing in on her. She winced as she managed to move on her feet. She straightened her dress, fully aware of how insubstantial the material was. She put her hands to her head and fought the urge to scream.

A prisoner's instinct prodded her to go check the door.

Running her fingers wildly in her hair, she determinedly tried to reach the door.

She smoothed her wrinkled outfit and leaned onto the walls for support. She felt gracelessly through the walls and found the door.

Again, there was something unnatural about the walls…perhaps…

Her thoughts cut off abruptly as she felt the metal bolt. She stepped closer and slid the latch slowly, quietly.

It did not resist.

The door was unlocked.

She stood there for a few seconds, debating with a rush of excitement whether she could open it or not. .

_Anything you do, we can counter…_

To hell with that.

Desperate to be freed from the graveyard that was her cell, Sakura pulled open the door, breathed the fresh air, then went into stride.

She wanted to run for it and yet went tottering instead, as if savoring her newfound freedom. She wanted to regain lost strength.

_Calm. Calm is the key. Breathe, Sakura._

Suddenly, she heard a low grumbling. It was her stomach churning. As she faced the hallway, she wondered where the kitchen might be. She had to grab something. Making sure nobody was behind her, she slowly crept from corner to corner. Each door was identical that she found it hard to guess where the kitchen was.

She suddenly started to seriously doubt if these men ate.

There has to be a kitchen.

The place was full of identical closed doors. Although the place looked like a fortress, with her cell and all, it wasn't entirely poor. When she went out from the basement that was her cell, she found that the doors looked like it was made of rich material, completely smooth. The doors seemed to be made of panel oak.

As she was brooding, she stumbled upon the room …which looked exactly like the kitchen. There were sinks by the side and there was a prominent table in the middle.

_Perfect. _

Elated, Sakura reached for the nearest fruit on the table which was an apple. While she was at it, she went for two, grabbed a banana, devoured one in less than two minutes, then broke into a run.

Sakura grinned mentally. Since a banana was easily digested, the sugar is easily converted to energy. Her lost energy would soon be replenished.

Her stomach knotted as she swallowed the food that seemed foreign to her now. Her gut clenched. She wasn't used to eating anymore.

Sakura rolled her eyes and ate the remaining food. She'd think of getting sick later. What was important was that she gets out of here.

Alive.

Barefoot, she sprinted through the long hallways, her feet quietly but swiftly loping. Her eyes darted from left to right, wary of any Akatsuki.

_The coast is clear. _

Sakura was about to turn to a corner when she _felt _a strong presence. A normal person wouldn't even have a clue, but Sakura, on her guard against the Akatsuki, mentally reminded herself that these were S-class criminals she was facing. She wasn't supposed to expect Chuunin level ninjas. Thankfully, it was not to her back. It was coming towards her.

She prayed that it was not the sharingan user although she wouldn't be happy if it was the Shark also.

On a second thought, she preferred to face the latter than the former.

Bracing herself against a wall, Sakura used it to cover her lithe frame. She could hear her own heartbeat as she hoped that he would not turn her way so that she could catch a glimpse of her intended victim. She slowly peeped to see who it was and discovered a bulky, towering back , and a gigantic sword which was facing her.

Kisame.

Sakura reached for the last senbon in her hair, then as if praying, whispered something to it, then blew the needle-like weapon with pinpoint precision even the weapons mistress couldn't rival.

It hit right behind his neck.

The sweet spot.

Ironic. Even the colossal samehada was no match to a miniscule weapon as this.

Sakura then went for it. She delivered a chop to his neck and bashed him in the chin. Kisame seemed bulky but was also no match to the poison that was in the needle. Symptoms of the poison immediately took effect: overwhelming sense of fatigue, loss of strength and concentration and numbness of the extremities.

At first, he was able to block Sakura's attacks, but little by little, specifically half a minute later, he fell.

Sakura wanted to clap her hands if only she wasn't it wouldn't hurt. Kisame posed a really formidable and supernatural enemy. Even stricken with a poison, he was able to fight her. But the effects of the poison were inevitable.

What a miracle worker, the Saigo Yoru.

_Sweet Revenge. _

Its effects would last about five to six hours later.

She would have to be far by then.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Pure determination and luck only kept Sakura from collapsing.

Petulantly and , perhaps bitterly, she surmised that the cell where she was kept in probably sucked her chakra. Plus, she wasn't given food in her two-day stay. That was enough to dampen her hopes of escape.

But when she felt the senbon in her hair, she was given a new flash of inspiration.

Sakura closed her eyes to breathe in the fresh air.

Her clothes were tattered and torn, her face was a wide array of black and blue, her arms and feet adorned by gashes and wounds of all kinds and her knee was a curtain of blood, but so what? She was out here now. If that was the price she had to pay for freedom, then she'd happily give it.

Then she realized that she had no weapon left.

Sakura shook the thought out of her head and turned back.

The fortress of the two Akatsuki men were now almost out of sight. It was established in between the country of lightning where the village of could resides and water, where the village of mist is found. It was situated in an area where only rogues and bandits could possibly pass by. No sane ninja would visit this place, though it was neutral, because this was where killings and ambushes usually happened.

Sakura then persisted, frantically leaping from branch to branch, aware of any presence behind. She masked what little chakra she had. Though her flesh wanted to give up, her spirit wouldn't allow it. Sakura pushed to her limits, thinking of only one goal, which was to get as far as possible from the fortress. But when she checked, there was no village in sight.

_Damn. _

She felt her feet wound beneath her. The rough branches of trees scraped her soles badly. She could almost feel her bare flesh with every landing. Yet she didn't dare look at it. Healing it would only aggravate her already pitiful condition. Breathing deeply, her chest suddenly ached. Unconsciously, Sakura placed her hand to her heart and relaxed. She had to go on and rest when the fortress was far enough. She had to find a place to stay in.

Night was fast approaching. The sky was crimson and the yellow balloon of a sun planted beneath the far horizon slowly descended.

Panting and exhausted, Sakura couldn't fathom the thought of giving up when she made it this far.

Sakura stopped on a tree branch. She leaned against the it as if to catch her breath. Her right feet dangled beneath her and her left leg bent rested against the tree branch. Her muscles felt cramped. Her left arm rested on her knees. She took off the bandage on her wound and stared at it.

Its edges were full of dirt and puss. It seemed to have grown larger. It was severely infected.

But so were the wounds on the sole of her feet.

Sakura sighed, her chest heaving up and down. She tried to mold some chakra in her hands to at least be able to lessen the pain in her feet so that she could still run.

At that moment ,she trembled.

There was a_ dull ache_ in her chest.

And it was becoming more and more intensely seared by the minute. She felt like her skin was being sizzled in fire.

Pain easily subdued her as she helplessly clutched her chest.

She moaned in pain.

Her face contorted in utter displeasure. She felt sick. Her head was spinning. It was the first time something like this ever happened to her…but in her mind tugged that this was _not_ the first time she witnessed something like this.

Rough skin was felt by her fingers through the fabric of her clothing. Sakura shut her eyes. She convulsed in pain, biting her lower lip to avoid making dubious sounds. Her skin was so hot as against her cold and numbing fingers...

Hastily, Sakura dove herhand underneath her clothing, anxious to figure out if she was having a heart attack or merely overreacting. She felt a palm-sized wound in her chest, directly to her heart. A proverbial icon...

_Familiar..._

Then gasped.

On her chest was a perfectly carved_ kanji_ symbol for eternity.

_**Tsuzuku**_


	4. Chapter 4: The Narrow Escape

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Disclaimer: **All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.

_Thanks to all who reviewed:)_

**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Narrow Escape**

Cold water tingled her skin as she slid down the falls.

After two agonizing days of forsaking personal hygiene and discipline, Sakura was grateful for the mild rush of cold water to her skin.

The falls looked inviting even in nighttime. The ivory white moon reflected idly against the black blue waters. The surrounding forest was serene. Even though it was dark, Sakura sensed that it was going to rain.

She slowly bathed her wounds and scratches, hopefully removing all the dirt.

After the discovery of the Seal(1) that was engraved into her, Sakura immediately looked for a body of water in order to alleviate the growing pain in her chest.

She just hoped it was not a cursed seal.

And yet, when she tried to mold some chakra, that was when it started to pain her. Sakura shivered at the thought. It could not be a cursed seal. The chance of surviving for a person with a cursed seal is one out of ten. The cursed seal also grants the wearer an access to their true power, but, it ultimately destroys them since it allows someone else to control them. She remembered Sasuke when he changed into somebody else when the seal was activated. The seal, from his neck, spread into a raging, flame-like pattern that made him look like a tiger with black stripes and all that.

Sakura grimaced. She did not want to look like a tiger.

Fat chance.

Soaked in icy water, the seal proved to be less threatening. Although Sakura could still feel bouts of pain, it was lessened by the cold temperature. She was thankful. When she got home, she can have this removed in every way possible.

Too tired to think, she bobbed her head to have a closer look at the seal.

_Eternity…_

What could he have meant by that?

By now, Sakura was sure that Itachi had meant to keep her his slave forever.

No way.

Lee might just think of wearing another suit other than the green one he usually wears, Naruto would neglect ramen in favor of vegetables and Gaara would doze off to sleep, but she would_ never_ be captured by the Akatsuki again.

Never.

Sakura sighed. If she wanted that, she should have gone out of the water minutes ago.

Standing up, Sakura went back to the water's edge.

The seal hurt.

Straining herself, Sakura's forehead creased as she struggled to look for her clothes. She was pretty sure that they were just in the rocks. She involuntarily hugged herself to shield from the threatening cold. Taking a good look around her, Sakura swore she left it exactly where she was standing.

After one mind-boggling, nerve-racking minute, Sakura gravely regretted her indiscretion. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Come out now."

There was a long, seemingly interminable moment of stillness, and hesitation. Every sound paused, every movement ceased, everything held its breath.

Then the darkness began stirring.

From its depths a vague, dark shape emerged, moving forward, separating itself from the blur, and resolving all at once into the figure of rogues.

Sakura stood unflinchingly straight as one by one, the crooks sprung out from the bushes. They eyed her with an expression of sinister lust. Sakura wanted to vomit.

"Hand my clothes." There was iron in her voice. "Now." Her voice wavered and she could hear it.

The rogues exchanged looks with each other then snickered malevolently.

"It was you who violated us in the first place, woman." He stoked his greasy beard lovingly. "This is our property, and you dare bathe here…tsk, tsk, tsk."

A long nosed someone interrupted. "A little…" He again turned to the others in an understanding. "Shall we say…._entertainment _would suffice."

A chill run down to her back. The hair behind her neck stood up.

Bracing herself, Sakura calculated about twelve of them. If there was no one left hiding in the bushes.

It seemed that she would have to fight them wearing only the water that dripped from her body. Sakura exhaled sharply. It seemed that they enjoyed peeking at her and wanted to have _more._

Here she was, standing bare-naked, with her only possessions mercilessly robbed from her, in front of twelve bandits who wouldn't give a second thought to do what they wanted to with her.

So becoming of her.

_Shame on me. _

She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she did not notice those greasy rascals.

She did not have any choice.

The bandits stepped forward.

She can't use chakra.

Another step forward. Sakura did not budge.

A hand-to-hand- combat would most likely have her captured and abused.

They stopped and stared at her nastily as if contemplating on what she would do. Sakura ignored them completely.

And, adding to her sorrows, she did not have time as her friend right now.

They looked at one another, grinned, then in an understanding, nodded in unison.

Either way, she was cornered. These men preyed on fear and opportunity, but she was not going to be a victim.

Sakura then diverted into another scheme.

Using her inherent skills and abilities, Sakura decided to gamble on one skill she had not done in years. Sakura slowly but swiftly sauntered backwards toward the forest.

Then disappeared.(2)

It was a simple technique that required one to stop breathing and use the darkness as cover and the illusion of the enemy as cover.

Sakura could hear them panicking. But she can't escape that easily, especially naked. She wanted her clothes.

Driven by this motive, Sakura tirelessly, quietly looked for her clothes behind the bushes where they hid a while ago. She could still hear them looking for her beyond the clearing.

_Damn, where could it be?_

Vague footsteps abruptly cut her off of her thorough search.

Sakura made for cover. One of the bandits was looking for her, his back facing her.

Sakura grabbed the opportunity. She slowly crept to his back and delivered a chop to his neck. He howled in pain.

Sakura dreaded what she would have to do, but decided to do it anyway.

She took off his clothes and pants, leaving him half-naked. In the quickest, most efficient way possible, Sakura slid into his clothes.

It was way too big. The pants almost dropped. Sakura shook her head in dismay then sprinted. She repeatedly told herself that she was going to escape today and she was going to change clothes when she went home and she was going to have a cold shower and she would drop to her bed…a nice comfortable, fluffy bed…

A large chest directly in front of her appeared.

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, as more figures surrounded her.

A drop fell on her face, followed by another, and more in quick succession. Thunder boomed overhead.

It had started to rain.

* * *

It had been relatively _uncomplicated_ to follow her.

Her trail was blood.

Upon reaching their abode, he found Kisame "resting" on the portico. The instant he came in, he related all the events, leaving nothing behind. He was more or less sulky. Not that he was sympathetic to the shark, but he was _duped_ by a young kunoichi whom they were assuming, had lost all of her chakra and hopes of escape.

He was mildly amused.

Such tenacity.

And she had managed to hide a weapon from them.

Without further delay, he traced her trail and found that she was already far.

He tilted his head in consideration. He did not expect less from the Godaime's pupil.

In order to sharpen his senses, he had activated his sharingan and made use of all his speed, making it easier to pursue the trail. It wouldn't take long.

Besides, she had his seal.

_Foolish. _

* * *

"First, we'll teach you a lesson."

Forcing her to her knees, the man began by slapping her face. There was a man holding a serrated knife close to her neck, and another holding her in place. Every time a spank came, the wound in her neck grew deeper.

"So you're proud of this face huh?" The man behind her spoke. Sakura knew he was licking her blood from the knife. He grabbed a handful of her hair then forced her face up. "We'll break it in front of you."

The blows continued on. It seemed like a rhythmic dance. The raising of the fist, the hit, Sakura's face forced side-wards then when she turns back to look at the greasy man, the second blow comes. Sakura steeled herself from the next blows, at the same time counting the seconds.

The rhythm was getting more and more predictable.

The next time it came was the last.

The moment the palm of the man hit her face, he regretted it. Sakura bit the flesh furiously that she felt the bones in her teeth. As she planned, Sakura deliberately fell back on the man that was holding her. Her weight crashed into him. He yelled irately as his grip on her loosened. She delivered the kick right to the face of the man holding the serrated knife. He crashed to the trunk of the tree and landed with a thump.

Her elbow collided with the third man's nose.

The other men were racing to her now, although the others actually fled away.

Sakura bolted fast. But they were faster.

There was a big difference between her and the bandits. She had to move on. She was running for her life. They were not.

Someone crashed into her from behind. Sakura's heart leapt to her throat, as she elbowed his face, and the pressure on top of her was suddenly gone. Sakura pushed herself up.

She went in time to dodge a flurry to her right. She half sidestepped and kicked to her back.

She hit it directly.

She ran blindly through the rain, her feet flying, her heart pounding inside her like a prisoner fighting for freedom, her skin tingling with expectation as if expecting someone to fall over her any minute. Her breath came in short, unsteady puffs. She inhaled a lungful of air.

It came.

Someone tackled her from the second time but she was not going to get up again. A knee was pressed hard against her back. Her arms were pinned to the ground.

Sakura let her body fall limply. There were triumphant cries.

Sakura released the gulp of air in an earsplitting scream.

* * *

As soon as the scream was heard, he froze, rooted to his spot.

His eyes bled into a darker shade of red. An aura of impending doom hovered ahead.

A kunai restlessly twirled in his hand.

* * *

This time, they played with her.

Her attackers surrounded her in a circle. She was tied to a tree.

The forest seemed to be spinning, the driving rain unrelenting, whipped into frenzy by the billowing wind that blew through her inexorably. The leaves rustled ahead, the tree swayed along.

The nature seemed to be in tuned with her. She shuddered in anticipation of what they would do.

Sakura stared fixedly to the sky, as if beseeching the gods to act.

One of them took out a_ katana_.

There was a mad glint that was mirrored in her attacker's eyes.

Lifting her face up to the skies, she surrendered her soul to the gods.

On another thought, at least there was one consolation. She made it hard for them. Seeing their bruised faces, their broken noses and bleeding lips, Sakura felt extraordinarily at peace.

He toddled to her, a sword in his hand. When he was a body's length from her, Sakura believed the inevitable was going to happen. On a second thought, in her normal strength, she can uproot the tree and escape if she wanted to. Simply put, she just had no strength left.

He pointed the end of the sword to her neck, then slid it down to her to the spot between her shoulders, just above the neckline of her top. The sharp end of the sword started to rip her blouse. Sakura stared in defiance.

The other spectators watched in bated breath. He was doing it real slowly.

Her knees almost buckled beneath her but she was not going to give them that satisfaction. She leaned her head forcibly against the tree that it hurt. She squinted her eyes to look at them. It was getting heavy…

It was when she gasped. Her eyes widened.

He looked at her then flashed a perfect set of artificial white teeth. His grin broadened.

He thought she was surprised at his actions.

He was dead wrong.

A rock whipped past his hands. His katana tumbled to the ground. Gracelessly, he turned to his back, as did his fellow companions. They found nothing. They braced themselves from the imminent bloodshed.

Someone from the group screamed.

Then another followed.

One by one the people tumbled down as a ghostly outline of a figure passed through them in lightning speed.

_It was fast! _

Sakura gaped in horror. She couldn't have heard wrong. A bell tinkled from somewhere.

Left with no options, the leader of the bandit grabbed his katana to point it directly to her neck. As every single one of them came clattering down, the figure materialized out of the dark.

Sakura's mouth dropped open.

Her mind was slowly processing the information. Black cloak, red clouds…

"Don't move!"

Sakura broke out of her reverie.

The once grinning man now shook in fear. It seemed that he did not recognize his attacker. "I-I'll kill her!"

Sakura did not want to be with either of them.

_I'd rather die. _

Uchiha Itachi cocked his head haughtily. "Do it."

Embarrassed, Sakura clamped her mouth shut. If only fairy tales were not fairy-ish. She wanted to have a last wish and that was to be able to punch the haughty Uchiha to his face.

The Uchiha did not rush time. He slowly raised his head so that he could see the man levelly.

"D-Don't move!"

He looked at him directly.

The man fainted.

So did she.

_**Tsuzuku**_

* * *

**_A/N: _**

1. the seal will be elaborated in the coming chapters.

2. The disappearing technique was , according to experts, unfeasible. However, the darkness made it easier for Sakura to do it, especially when she had run out of choices and she was naked.


	5. Chapter 5: The Touch

**Cold **

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Touch**

Naruto slowly crouched behind the bushes of the Uchiha compound. The hospital did not allow him to go out, not until three days of full recovery, but Naruto was indubitably Naruto, and he decided to take the matters into his own hands. Sasuke just recently came back from a class B mission and the news couldn't wait for the morning. They had to act.

He prepared to spring to the window.

"Hold it."

A hand was laid on his shoulder. Naruto jumped.

"Kakashi-sensei!" He breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Hands buried deep in his pocket, Kakashi frowned beneath the mask. "I should be asking you the same question, Naruto."

"Well-I," Naruto breathed deeply. "I was just going for a visit since—"

"Since Sasuke was supposed to know about what happened to Sakura," He stated a matter-of-factly.

Naruto fiddled with his nose. 'Ermmm…"

The copy ninja went on unperturbed. "That she was taken captive by the Akatsuki and you are about to plan to retrieve her by all means."

Dignity forgotten, Naruto beamed in amazement. "How did you know, Kakashi-sensei!"

"I was right?"

Naruto gaped at his teacher in amazement, then, as he realized his own folly, in annoyance. "Dammit!" Then he muttered phrases to the effect of "how was I to know he knew" and "that sneaky bastard".

Kakashi massaged his chin. "Quiet down naruto. You're going to wake him up. Besides," Kakashi explained patiently. "Sasuke has turned his back on revenge. Opening up something about the Akatsuki and his brother will only rekindle his desire for it."

Naruto looked up at him. "Right." He sighed, shaking his head remorsely. "But Sakura sacrificed her life for me… I don't care who I have to fight, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Her whereabouts are unknown, even as we speak."

"How can you take this so calmly, Kakashi-sensei? We have to act now!"

Kakashi suddenly looked tired. He held his student on his shoulder. "The Godaime forbids it."

Sadness returned to his eyes. Naruto sat back down and buried his face in his hands helplessly. Kakashi turned a sympathetic eye to the Kyuubi. In all of these happenings, he understood that it was hardest for him. He had been in the scene and was unable to do something about it. It was enough to crush him.

"We'll do something about it. We'll definitely do something about it."

Kakashi stared at the disheveled Naruto. He couldn't blame him, nor could he blame Sakura, who acted quickly amid immense pressure to save her friend. He thought of Sasuke. Losing his family was enough to have driven him to the edge, but losing Sakura might actually be a fatal blow. _And Akatsuki might actually force her to do things._ He had always known that the elder Uchiha was beset with a myriad of eye problems ever since they went for a short visit to Konoha after the Third Hokage died, so the Uchiha might use her for himself, or worse, he might actually try to recruit her to the organization.

Sakura had better pull herself together.

* * *

Sakura slowly blinked.

In a split second, she was aware of a dozen or so things. First, there was something dropping on her forehead. While her vision was mildly impaired and it took her a while to adjust to the surroundings, she knew in an instant that she was probably in a cave. Second, her legs were numb. It felt as though she had been submerged in ice cold water for hours without her knowing. Third, there was a faint ringing in her ears. Her hands instinctively reached for her temple, but they were strangely heavy.

_It seems that fatigue had finally set in. _

She forced her hands to reach her head and suppressed a bit-back moan. She tried to stand up, her head in between her hands until the heaviness abated.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it.." The last was more powerful than the first two. Sakura wanted to drown the faint shrill sounds in her head.

She took several deep breaths and looked at her hands. Her brow furrowed slightly. She felt through her neck.

_Gone…_

It was smooth. She felt through her face. There were slight scratches but it must be because of her sleeping position. She sat up, not without struggling. Something fell on her lap.

She raised an eyebrow.

_An Akatsuki robe?_

Her forehead creased in puzzlement.

Then found reason to crease some more.

She must have been too worried about herself that she had not noticed a fire in the middle of the cave. She tried to recall what happened and deduced that she must be-

Her eyes widened. She dropped her hands.

For the second time today, she had failed to notice a figure just beyond the fire. She frowned. It was in a meditating position, resting against the wall.

_Uchiha Itachi. _

Sakura immediately thought of escape. Her hopes dampened when she realized that it was raining hard. Besides, her chakra was depleted…and her clothes were gone.

She glanced at her own shirt. It was the same as before. There was a large rip in the middle of her chest. Sakura unconsciously blushed then hugged herself. That must be why the Uchiha threw the robe over her. She sighed, then dropped her hands to her side. She felt something by her feet.

She looked at it in bewilderment.

Tied to her ankle was a chakra string that she suspected must be tied to the Uchiha. If she had escaped, she might have been killed, or tortured, whichever suited the Uchiha best. He would never hesitate to kill her, as valuable as she was as a healer.

There was just no way of escape.

She stole a glance at the Uchiha who was peacefully asleep.

Forcing herself up, she staggered to him despite the reluctance in her body. Her gut clenched as her lung constricted. She held the robe in her hands.

She was hungry.

She might be his prisoner, but the fact was, he was the only company she would ever have for the night. As she sat directly in front of the Uchiha, she placed the cloak on his lap instinctively. He might be cold. The elder Uchiha did not stir.

Warming her hands by the fire, Sakura stole another glance at the Uchiha's sleeping figure. Here was a traitor, a wanted fugitive that slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan in one night. Here was the man Sasuke vowed to destroy all his life. She had heard about him only in the legends and she found it hard to believe them. But now he was before her, and he seemed at peace.

For the first time, Sakura had the chance to scrutinize his face. Judging from the black shadows that danced just below his eyes, Sakura gathered that he must have been through a lot in his childhood. She heard from rumors that Sasuke's elder brother slept on rare occasions and that he trained himself vigorously. Very capable from the beginning, Itachi proved to be more than promising as he was the top rookie of the academy and he graduated in only one year at the age of seven. A year later, at the age of eight, he was able to activate the Uchiha Clan's special Advanced Bloodline ability of the Sharingan, became a Chuunin at the age of ten and became a Jounin and ANBU squad leader at the age of only thirteen.

She also heard from the rumors that he was indecipherable, dark and brooding. It was impossible to make out what was running through his mind, which made him invincible to his enemies, untouchable even to his own family.

But the rumors didn't speak of his beauty.

His pastel complexion contrasted visibly with the smooth, shoulder-length jet black hair that framed his face. His arresting features were prominent: the accentuated cheekbones, the finely sculptured nose, the long eyelashes that highlighted his effeminate orbs and the thin lips that bore the trademark smirk of the Uchiha.

The difference of the two brothers was apparent. While Sasuke seemed to be brooding and apprehensive at times, Itachi bore the buoyancy and poise of someone who has accepted death in itself. Sasuke was good-looking, but Itachi was someone to be desired.

Sakura wondered what would have happened had he not decided to join Akatsuki.

She continued looking at him intently, convinced that once his eyes opens and looks at her, she would never have a chance to touch him. For once, she just wanted to prove the rumors wrong. Why else did he save her? He even healed her, and covered her nakedness. There must still be warmth beneath the glacial surface of the Uchiha.

More out of morbid curiosity and lunacy, Sakura dared to reach her hands out.

And touch him.

Stopping midway, Sakura mentally berated herself. _Enough now, Sakura. _She might get into serious trouble for touching an S-class criminal at the very least.

She was about to withdraw her hand, when his hand shot up to hers.

Sakura gasped. The Uchiha turned her so that it was she who leaned against the cave, his one hand pinning both her wrists to the wall. She blinked at him, completely still, with her fingers interlocked with his.

Ebony black crashed with jade green as the two of them held still. Completely immoble, Sakura sat in silence, willing herself not to breath calmly while hoping against hope that the moment would soon be forgotten. His free hand moved to touch her. Sakura stopped breathing.

Slowly, his thumb began to explore her face, stroking her cheek, then found its way to her neck. He inched closer to her. He went further down to touch the base of her throat, and then lower, but his eyes never left hers.

It was all she could do to keep herself up. His lips slowly curved into the slightest suggestion of a smile, as she endured the intensity of his gaze.

He slowly broke from her gaze to catch a glimpse of the symbol on her chest.

_The seal…_

"To obtain something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His thumb carefully stroked the seal. "You must be willing to sacrifice something of equal value." He went back to look at her, his gaze penetrating.

"How much are you willing to give up, Sakura?" He spoke her name as if it was an endearment.

Sakura carefully noted that he had not asked what she was willing to give up, but how much. He already had something in store for her, she deduced that much. He must intend to use her completely, and then discard her after. The seal was enough proof of that.

"I gave my freedom in exchange for Naruto's life. You can start with that," Sakura replied tensely, trying to sound calmer than she actually was.

"Why do you care about Naruto so much, Sakura?"

"I can only do the dumbest of things for Naruto. He would do the same for me, and for Sasuke-kun." Sakura paused, her voice without the slightest hesitation as she made sure her words made their way to the elder Uchiha. "It's something you've probably _never_ had in your life. It's called _friendship, _Itachi-san." Her voice tinged with scorn, and for a moment, she forgot that he was an s-class felon in the bingo book and she had his seal.

His derision equalled hers when he spoke. "On the contrary, I call it a good bargain, Sakura."

He nonchalantly continued, "But I'll hold you to your word."

Sakura seethed in anger."Are you going to kill me too? Just like you did with the rest of the Uchiha?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "A life for a life, Sakura."

Sakura was undeterred. If she was going to die, she was going to die fighting. "Those cold, merciless eyes of yours... I wonder if your family saw the same eyes _that day_," she spat.

Itachi let go of her wrists, and rested his hands collectedly on either side of her. He was unflustered. "That was their vision of their own reality. The reality of their deaths. But this," Itachi pulled the rip in her shirt aside so that the seal on her chest was visible. He traced the seal downward with his finger. Taken aback, Sakura reflexively moved to push his hand aside, but he locked her wrist above her head in one swift movement. "This is your reality, little blossom."

Without meaning to, Sakura carelessly spat her words. "Don't call me _that_…"

"Little blossom," Message: He was the one in charge here. "Don't give me _that_."

Sakura unconsciously backed into the wall further. He leaned so closely to her ear that his voice clearly reverberated in her mind. "Don't give me a reason to kill you." Then he stood up.

Despite common sense, Sakura persisted. For the life of her, she did not want the conversation to end that way. "Then why did you heal me?"

The Uchiha's face was blank. "Go back to sleep. We leave before dawn." He turned back again to go out of the cave.

Sakura heaved a deep sigh, and only then did she realize that she had been shaking.

Day one.

_I survived_.

_**Tsuzuku**_


	6. Chapter 6: The Clash

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Author's Notes: **I'm really sorry for taking so long to update. School's been pretty harsh. Thank you for reading and for taking time to review! It's been years but writing fan fiction still is a pastime I can't seem to outgrow.

I've been following the manga during my spare time, but the events in this story are unreliable for information on the anime. However I still try to keep the up with the recent updates. And I'm trying to keep Sakura as human and real as possible, because I think it is her humanity,in the face of everyone else's quest for power, that makes her special.

Thank you for reading and I hope you all like this.

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Clash**

Sakura was never a deep sleeper. That was the reason why she bolted up from her slumber when she realized she was no longer in a cave, nor was she inside a nightmare. She unconsciously clutched the sheets beside her, while straining to sit herself up. A sudden vertigo overtook her and she was sure it was because of the sudden change in position. Never giving up, she forced herself to sit straight, slowly, propping her forearms for support, then sat up, leaning her back against the headboard. She allowed herself a deep breath at the small triumph and began to scan the newfound abode.

It quite liberally exuded the real essence of a bedroom. In the middle of the room was the bed where she lay.

Other than that, no other furniture embellished the room. Sakura yawned comfortably. Not that the room mattered that much, but she was happy to have woken up, with no missing parts, in a bed no less. Her limbs were intact, she had some scratches, and a slight headache, and a seal just above her chest, but alive nonetheless. For that, she was grateful.

She paused from inspecting herself then carefully studied her room.

_Curious._

There were two doors to her left side. One must be the bathroom. She almost smiled at the thought of seeing a bathroom after almost a week of not taking a decent bath. With much unexpected enthusiasm from a captive of a ruthless killer who did not even spare his own family, Sakura quickly went out of her bed and checked the doors. The one to the left was a bathroom.

Again she did a quick inspection of herself; just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating. She was still wearing that tattered shirt she stole from the rogue she knocked senseless last night.

Or was it the other day? She did not know anymore.

Shrugging the question off, she ran her fingers through her hair. It was a mass of tangles.

Quickly she removed her clothes, fearing that the chance to bathe would slip through her hands, then stepped into the bath.

Hundreds of thousands of needles of wintry water pierced her warm skin. She gasped at the contact. The spell of rain completely took her in and she relaxed under its touch, allowing it to soothe her skin. Wrapping her arms around her, Sakura savored this new feeling of cleanliness. She'd have this much pleasure, if she was going to be a captive for the rest of her life.

Sakura grimaced. That wasn't a good morning thought.

She turned the shower one notch higher. Water pounded against her harshly and it was her way of punishing herself, because she wanted to drown all thoughts, the lingering scent of reality and just relish this one moment of privacy and solitude. Shutting her eyes close, Sakura wrapped her arms around her. The feel of coarse skin broke her out of her reverie.

_Damn, _she thought._ Damn him. _

_What else can he do if he could do this much?_ Sakura thought bitterly. Though unaware of the seal's powers, she was fairly sure that it was meant to control access to her chakra, and even kill her, if she does anything contrary to his orders.

_Anything you do, we can counter._

Sakura thought of everything she read about seals. This can't be like the cursed seal Orochimaru used on his five sound nins, which, once in place will grant the wearer the ability to access their real power. By releasing chakra, the seal becomes active and begins to forcibly pull out even more chakra until it goes out of control. When the wearer releases the cursed seal to activate the extra chakra, they will lose their free will permanently over time, transforming the user into Orochimaru's slave. On the other hand Neji's cursed seal allows the Hyuuga main house to control the branch family and when activated the seal causes pain and kills the bearer of the mark by destroying their brain. At the same time, the Byakugan bloodline is also removed from their bodies, which helps keep the family's bloodline secrets safe.

The thought of her chakra controlled by Uchiha Itachi made her flinch. The thought of him merely exercising his fingers into a deadly hand seal, the thought of him simply looking at her to _kill_ her, made her insides squirm.

"Stop it Sakura! Stop Stop stop!"

She had been careless. That was the price of her ruthless, thoughtless decision. Branded and manipulated, she was reduced to a piece of equipment that can be disposed at his whim. She forfeited her soul the moment she spoke those damning words. Damn him. And damn her for her impetuous actions. Then reflexively, Sakura reached her palm to her cheek as if in a slap.

"Can't you shut up Sakura?" She said forcefully to herself. As true as they were, Naruto was more than enough reason for her to sacrifice her life. She managed a wry smile.

She'd risk more for him, as he had done for her.

Quickly regaining her composure, she quickly turned the shower off and went out, wearing only water dripping carelessly on the floor.

Uchiha Itachi looked up from setting some clothes on the bed.

Sakura let out a small cry of alarm.

At once, she ran back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her in fashion.

"You could've at least knocked!"

"You wouldn't have heard me even if I did," he replied flatly as though seeing naked women was an everyday activity. Then he added as an afterthought, "Besides, you were busy speaking to yourself."

So much for privacy. With great difficulty, the pink haired kunoichi calmed herself. This was not good at all. She just gave a very vulgar picture of herself to an S-class criminal—God knows what thoughts run through the mind of the criminal who killed his entire clan in one fell swoop—

"Must you sulk in there?"

Sakura lost all halfhearted attempts to stay calm. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "On the contrary, Itachi_-_san_, _I am contemplating on the best way to get out of here without you seeing me a second time in my birthday suit."

"You are within my command, Sakura" he reminded her with an eerie calmness. It was unbearable, the way he said her name so calmly. Even with a wall between them, his voice seemed to resonate everywhere. A chill went down her spine, and she knew it wasn't from the cold. "I do as I please."

Sakura gritted her teeth in anger.

"What else do you want?" she asked weakly. "You've cornered me. I'm your captive. I'm even branded as _your_ tool," she added disdainfully. "I've lost all dignity now. Won't you even allow me to dress without you watching?"

Silence ensued.

"Three minutes. If you're not downstairs by then, Kisame will be escorting you."

Four minutes must have been the time she took in dressing up. She didn't think the Uchiha was serious about the three minutes.

She decided it was best to just pointedly ignore the Sharkman who was carefully watching her with his dark, beady eyes, the moment she went out of her room.

But she did not know the way.

She did not care, and went on observing the place. Apparently, the Akatsuki partners were not living sumptuously, but they weren't living scantily either. Their dwelling was more like a fortress, in which getting lost might mean death. Out of stubbornness and the damning instinct to look for peril, the pink-haired kunoichi proceeded on her own way.

Stopping halfway, she turned to look at the Sharkman.

She quickly regretted her indiscretion.

Catching a rough hand reflexively, Sakura defensively blocked the next strike, allowing Kisame to grab her arms. He pinned her roughly to the wall while gripping her hands tightly toward him. His breath was fanning her face and she was sure she smelled the sea.

_Damn_.

She was caught inside an aquarium and there was no escape but death. For a brief moment of silence, Sakura wondered why morbid thoughts seemed to be having their excursion through her brain when most unneeded.

Forcing herself to hold his gaze, the kunoichi struggled to free herself from his iron grip.

"Let me be," she hissed, pulling her hand from him.

"When someone is pulling you toward him," he scoffed, "you move at him, not away from him. The lack of balance can throw him off guard. Basic genin knowledge, kunoichi." In an astonishing speed quite unexpected from a man his bulk, Kisame quickly released his grip on her arms, causing her to stagger backwards, and fall head on.

"Works the other way around too."

The pink haired kunoichi was left strewn on the ground, motionless.

Kisame tilted his head on consideration. She was a wimp. Nothing more.

"Stand up, kunoichi." He directed her.

No response. Kisame scoffed. She was truly a wimp, after all. His partner wasted precious time on her.

"You waiting for me to stand you up kunoichi?" he growled. He went to her.

"Or you want to feel this baby-" he patted his samehada proudly, if not fondly. "Far up your skinny ass?"

He went closer to her.

"Eh, kunoichi?" She must be dead. But there was no blood. Kisame again tilted his head in consideration. He'd be doing an awful lot of explanation in between lies to his partner and there was no good time to do it. From his pouch, he took a kunai, then lowered himself onto the kunoichi to check her pulse.

Caught in a surprise, he had no time to react.

A hand shot up from somewhere and grabbed his collar. A left handed hook sent him flying to the wall. He had no time to react: he was beaten mercilessly, relentlessly in the face, and just when he could see the pattern already, Sakura stood him up and thrashed his head to the nearest wall. Before he could grab his samehada, another jab went to his stomach. If he wasn't careful enough to block the hit just a split second before the attack, he was sure there'd be a big hole in his stomach right now.

The kunoichi disarmed him with a quick, efficient lock and pinned him to the wall so that his back was towards her.

"That was just a feint, Sharkface," she hissed into his ears, and even more softly, "even genin would not have fallen for that trick."

She felt Kisame try to kick the wall to get rid of her feet that securely locked it, but she was fast. She roughly shoved him back and pressed herself against him.

"Secondly," she whispered to his ear, "the only ass that is skinny around here is yours, sharky. Why don't you see that for yourself?"

Kisame attempted to dislodge her by backing fast into the next wall, but Sakura was more than ten feet away by then. She stood her battle stance, ready for the imminent bloodshed. Kisame wasted no time either. Quickly he removed the tape from the samehada and dove for her.

"I didn't know both of you had a penchant for indoor games."

Kisame halted in mid-air. Sakura turned in surprise.

Uchiha Itachi was leaning by a doorframe, wearing his usual dark shirt and pants that hung loosely on his hips. Sakura looked intently, as if seeing him for the first time.

No one spoke for the moment. She was waiting for Kisame to break the silence. When no one spoke for long, Sakura realized, with great astonishment, that Kisame was not one to easily pass blame on others. She rather half expected him to point at her, but this was quite bewildering.

Itachi tipped his head in quiet amusement.

"The meal is ready."

**_tsuzuku_**


	7. Chapter 7: The Message

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Message**

The meal wasn't cold.

Sakura found this highly amusing, and went for her food immediately after being seated. There was nothing wrong with being hungry, that much is true, except that Sakura was in enemy territory eating the food with much, unexpected gusto, not even pausing to take a breath, all the more forgetting the possibility of the food being poisoned.

Kisame's grin almost reached the back of his neck. "Can't contain yourself, eh?"

Sakura looked up for the first time. "You seem to have forgotten our duel."

Kisame's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are annoying, kunoichi."

Sakura went on, unfettered by the dangerous air that hovered around Kisame. "But the dead don't talk. Least of all, eat."

Kisame grabbed a hold of his samehada's hilt and stood up, knocking his chair over. "Let's see who's dead—"

"Must you be that sensitive, Kisame?" Itachi started without looking.

Kisame sat back without another word.

Sakura looked up and was about to say something.

Jade crashed with dark pools of black, and before she even realized it, she had instinctively, almost violently turned her head away to avoid eye contact, as if avoiding a kunai thrown in her direction.

Just minutes ago she humiliated herself by walking in on him, wearing nothing. Days ago she attempted to escape, and again humiliated herself by being captured. She was branded as his tool, and it seemed only now in this moment that she truly felt the power of his gaze- all this time she had faced him without any qualms, answering back because she was used to being around people with sharingan. But this time, it was different: if he wanted to, he can actually kill her with a single look. The realization hit her like sudden needle-prick and she was amazed at her own folly, once again.

It seemed for days now she had been careless when there wasn't even a single safe place for her within his gaze.

Sakura pursed her lips tightly as she stared at her food.

The Uchiha looked at her expectantly. "Were you about to say something?"

_Look at him, damn it. _

Sakura tightened her grasp on the chopsticks. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Sakura flinched under his scrutiny, and flinched even more when she felt another pair of eyes turn towards her direction.

"Heh. Cat got your tongue, Kunoichi?"

Mustering all her strength and boldness, Sakura forced herself to raise her head and look at him.

"I'll need to…" her words trailed off. This was harder than she thought it would be.

"Ineedunderwear." She said as quickly as she could in a single breathe, then paused for air. There, she had embarrassed herself once more. These men probably had not heard of it before. After all, the clothes Uchiha set on the bed lacked underwear. She heard Kisame choke a bit.

Kisame snickered malevolently.

"Of course," was the Uchiha's immediate reply.

Kisame was incredulous. "What'd you go all that trouble for, kunoichi? What, thought we hadn't seen one?"

"I thought." Sakura breathed, focusing her gaze on the Sharkman. "Well, I thought you must have forgotten I, you know." She paused. "Needed those things."

"Then we will be in town in an hour."

* * *

"Do not make eye contact or communicate with anyone," she heard the Uchiha speak. The veiled threat in his words did not escape her notice. She nodded, then silently walked beside him. Kisame had stayed to guard their hideout. The Uchiha had said that he stood out too much.

Her thoughts were cut short when she realized they were inside a clothes store.

"Good afternoon!" A chirpy voice began.

Sakura turned to where she heard the voice and found a young, bespectacled woman who seemed to be eager to make her sale today. The sales lady smiled knowingly at her, then looked at the Uchiha with adoring eyes. "Which color would you prefer for your girlfriend?"

Sakura raised a brow, in an instant forgetting the Uchiha's order. "You're horribly mis-"

"Black, please."

The saleslady who was so absorbed by the Uchiha seemed to have forgotten her existence. Sakura gaped openly as the Uchiha even chose her size for her without so much as batting an eyelash. Sakura wisely chose to clamp her mouth shut. It was obvious the Uchiha wanted _this _to be over soon.

"I'll get it right away!" the saleslady beamed at him.

Feigning boredom to cover her embarrassment when she realised that it was more than once he saw her naked, she scanned the area for anything that might be interesting. There were a few people in the area, but a particular brown-haired woman, whose back was facing to her direction, caught her attention. The woman who was carrying a large plastic bag, turned a little and began to pace in the store as well. She was sure she had seen that gait somewhere…

"Do you have to fit?" asked the Uchiha as soon as the undergarments came.

Sakura shook her head 'no' without looking at him. The Uchiha then bought more of the same kind for her, and started for the counter. Sakura followed suit, but stole one more glance at the girl, mentally pleading her to show her face.

Then she saw it. Her plastic bag contained uncooked _ramen_.

_Ayame!_

There it was, the confirmation she needed. As the woman turned to check the garments near them, she consequently erased Sakura's doubts. She was the daughter of the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen stand, Teuchi-san, and she was right here where she was. Her stomach knotted in excitement. She had to get some sort of message through to her without the Uchiha noticing.

She glanced slightly up at him, and she was right. He was oblivious to the realizations that dawned on her. He walked to the counter with the pink-haired kunoichi tailing behind him, silently observing Ayame, while contemplating on the best thing to do.

Ayame proceeded to the fitting room.

"Um I think," said the kunoichi while taking the undergarments in her hands, "I think I'll have to fit these Itachi-san." Without waiting for the Uchiha's approval, she bounded to the room where Ayame entered.

Ayame gasped loudly as she entered but Sakura immediately put her hand on her mouth.

"It's me!" whispered the pink-haired kunoichi.

Ayame's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Sakura-san! Wha-"

Sakura abruptly cut her off and spoke carefully at once. "I need your help. Please tell Tsunade-shishou and everyone else that I am not dead. Tell them where you saw me; tell them I was taken captive by the Akatsuki." Pausing briefly, she added, "Tell them that I am all right." She managed a weak smile.

Ayame blinked wildly at the information. She was about to open her mouth to raise a question when they both heard a knock on the door. Sakura grabbed Ayame's things and threw it on the floor.

"Miss-?" It was the saleslady. "There is another room-"

Sakura pushed the door open.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss" she offered apologetically to a perplexed Ayame as she purposefully bent to gather her scattered things. "I really am sorry. I didn't see, sorry."

Sakura looked up at her and Ayame nodded in understanding then offered her a smile as she bent to help pick up some of the package.

"I am truly sorry."

"No problem. That will still reach town unspoiled." said Ayame smiling, while looking at the noodles, then turning to her, "Be careful next time."

_It will reach them. Be careful._

Sakura closed her eyes as she exhaled a long sigh then proceeded to the adjacent fitting room and shut the door. The woman understood her. That was all she needed, to let them know that she was alive. Wasting no time at all, she quickly fit the undergarment, and, finding it was the exact size, she moved out. The Uchiha was waiting patiently by the door when she was done.

After paying, the pair went out of the store. They were only two stores away from the clothes store when the Uchiha stopped, and went back.

"Where are you going?" called the kunoichi.

Sakura immediately went after him. _Could he have possibly-?_

The Uchiha didn't as much turn, or even acknowledge her. He simply walked back. An alarm rang in the back of her head, and her gut clenched as she cursed when she realized that only several blocks from them was a certain brown-haired lady hurrying to get away from the crowd, to be home as fast as she could—to be back in Konoha.

**Tsuzuku**


	8. Chapter 8: The Verdict

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

**Author's notes: **Thank you for reading! Drop me a review while you're at it! :D

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Verdict**

Sakura immediately followed suit but he was fast. The crowd was already thinning rapidly as they arrived at the end of the district where there were no more stores, and by this time, Ayame was already aware that she was being followed.

She broke off into a run.

The Uchiha tailed the daughter of the Ramen store's owner calmly, without ever letting her out of his sight, but Sakura knew it was already precarious for both her and Ayame. A dangerous atmosphere seemed to linger around him, and she had to act fast. It was a risk she took, and the woman's life is her responsibility now.

Sakura ran behind him. When she saw Ayame turn, she froze.

"Don't, Ayame-san!"

It was already too late when she heard her. Only seconds later, Ayame stood paralyzed like melted wax beginning to form itself. Her skin turned pallid, and her eyes slowly widened as if she saw death itself. The parcels dropped instantly from her grasp. Time seemed to stop that moment. Acting quickly, the pink-haired kunoichi scurried past the Uchiha and swiftly caught Ayame in her arms before she fully collapsed to the ground.

The sight of a stupefied Ayame made her lungs constrict and she felt the muscles of her throat tighten. It was entirely her fault, and she knew it, but he did not have to do this.

She laid Ayame on the ground slowly then, without another word, attacked her captor.

Itachi did not move an inch from where he stood. Chakra quickly molded into her hands but the effects of the mark were almost as immediate. The pain threatened to split her head into two, and it was blinding. Stopping halfway Sakura fell on her knees and shut her eyes, screaming, as she clutched her chest and began tearing her top in a desperate effort to clear the pain away, but even then the burning sensation would not go. The Uchiha stood silent, looking at her with ruthless eyes.

Sakura's mind went blank. She felt her breath hitch slightly and then it was the sky she saw.

She never felt the ground hit her.

* * *

When she woke up, there was a dull twinge on her chest and a sharp pain in her head. She found herself laid on the bed back in the Uchiha and the Sharkman's abode. She sat up on the bed only to collapse back, the sudden vertigo forcing her down again.

"Ayame-san," she whispered to herself.

Rolling to her side, she put her arms under her head then closed her eyes. There was no point in thinking anymore. "What have I done?" she sobbed helplessly, remembering the petrified look in Ayame's face as the Uchiha attacked her.

Taking a long sigh, she rolled to face the ceiling again, closed her eyes for a moment, then sat back up, not minding the pain in her head.

Moving out quickly, she ran to the bath room and washed her face. She stared at her reflection on the mirror and almost did not recognize herself at first. _How long have I been asleep? One day? _She was wearing a large shirt she did not even remember...

Sakura gulped, as memories of Ayame and their trip downtown came rushing to her head. She had followed Ayame and caught her as she collapsed, then attacked the Uchiha.

_Then what? _

She remembered attempting to mold chakra, and unwittingly activating the seal by doing so, which resulted in the pain in her head and chest. She remembered a sharp burning sensation on her chest, as if her very clothes were on fire. She remembered tearing them off, dignity forgotten, as the Uchiha watched. And then there was darkness.

_Damn him. _

It was all her fault and there was no time to worry about the Uchiha seeing her naked once more. If she had been more careful, he would have spared her life.

_Did he kill Ayame-san? _

Sakura did not want to know. It was pointless now. She had no power to save Ayame, least of all herself. Merely attempting chakra in her hands was a torture in itself. Quietly stepping out of her room, Sakura sought the fresh night air. She wanted to be left alone.

The hallways were dimly lit. The floor felt cold to her bare feet as she tiptoed her way outside, to breathe in the fresh air. It seemed there was no one around. The kitchen was empty, and she did not feel Kisame's presence. No signs of life.

_Perhaps they are on a mission? _

Sakura shrugged and stepped outside.

She unconsciously wrapped her arms around her as a strong wind sailed past her. When she blinked her eyes open, she saw a scene that would forever be etched in her memory.

It was a picture painted only by the glowing night sky and relentless wind. In the middle of the field stood a half-naked Itachi, his sweat glistening in the moonlight. He was crouched low, his eyes focused intensely somewhere Sakura couldn't make in the dark, but she was fairly sure the target had to be beyond the trees into the forest. His foot suddenly seemed to slip backwards, but it was a deliberate movement meant to begin his training.

Sakura watched, transfixed to the scene before her as Itachi seemed to dance, following a rhythm only he was able to hear. Kunais followed one after the other, hitting their rightful spots. His footing was light, and when he threw the kunais it seemed they were simply another finger and he easily, she was sure of it, hit the targets. There was almost no effort on his part and for several moments he stayed suspended in the air. When he stepped back on the ground, Sakura gasped as she found him facing her direction.

His eyes were closed.

Completely rooted to the ground, Sakura did not realize that she was holding her breath as she watched him train. She exhaled slowly, while holding her hands close to her chest. She knew that he sensed her presence, and she jumped as a kunai whizzed past her head, barely hitting her ear. Behind her, she heard a loud thump as it hit another target. Sakura turned reflexively to look, and found herself face to face with the man himself when she turned back.

His gaze was trained directly on her. Sakura unconsciously made one step backward while clutching on her chest, just above the seal. Before she could stop herself Sakura reached her hands out to his face. If Itachi was surprised, he did not show it. Sakura guided her hands to his eyes. His chakra paths were a mess.

_He had used his eyes too much…_

Itachi caught her hand gently as his free hand moved to touch her. Sakura watched him, motionless, as a keen sense of déjà vu came on to her. He had done this before, in the cave, when she had once escaped. But this time, he was not mocking, nor was he emphasizing their difference in power by touching her. Slowly, gently, his thumb found its way to the base of her throat. He pulled the neckline of her shirt down slightly. Without a single protest Sakura stood, knowing that he was looking at the mark on her chest. He inched closer, and she looked at him she saw that he was looking at it intently. A look of pain crossed his face, like a fleeting shadow.

When Sakura turned to look at the mark, she was aghast. It had turned dark red, like an open wound, possibly because of her earlier attempt to use her chakra. She had not noticed it when she woke up that night.

There was an almost imperceptible movement from the Uchiha who had suddenly formed hand seals in a speed Sakura had never seen before. She drew a sharp intake of breath.

_He was fast! _

"You can draw on your chakra now," said Itachi finally. The pained expression in his eyes had vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Let's start inside."

Sakura followed Itachi as he went inside their house, and straight to the kitchen. He sat on one of the stools.

"Please only activate your sharingan when I tell you to do so." Sakura began quietly. Itachi nodded his assent. Sakura stood before Itachi and placed her hands near his temples. "How often do you use your sharingan?"

"I seldom deactivate, until two years ago, when my sight became a bit blurry. The pains came soon after that."

Sakura nodded, then explained. "I'm going to channel some chakra into the paths nearest to your eyes, just to lessen the pain for now. Most of it is damaged already so it will take me slower, and the chakra paths are so small I need to be extra careful. Don't make any sudden movements. And refrain from using eyes techniques for extended periods of time."

Itachi merely sat, unblinking, regarding her with a cool demeanor as she proceeded to work her way through his chakra paths. Chakra started to flow like strings from Sakura's hand. A master of chakra control, Sakura was able to manipulate her chakra easily to fit into Itachi's chakra paths, all the while keeping record of everything she was observing in her mind, which she planned to write in a notebook later on. She noted that some nerves in his right eye were more damaged than his left eye. Whatever kind of genjutsu he was using with it, it was too much of a strain.

She went on for two more hours. It was easy enough to deal with Itachi when they were this way. She never asked about Ayame, fearing the answer might hurt her more than was necessary. She hoped against all hope, that he spared her life.

Sakura broke the silence. "Do you usually train with your eyes closed?"

"Yes."

_That's prudent, _Sakura thought grimly. Itachi is probably as deadly even without his eyes, as valuable they were as weapons. It was not only the visual prowess of the Uchiha that made them legendary, even if only a few of them remain alive. They were also notorious for being extremely battle-adept, with exceptional combat intelligence and formidable strength, undoubtedly necessary to wield a power as great as the sharingan.

"What a waste," Sakura thought, then pursed her lips when she realized she had given voice to her thoughts.

Itachi sat quietly before her, his gaze steady. Sakura bit her lip, forcing herself to stop. She was in no position to provoke him now. _Damn it Sakura you should at least shut up when he can sew your mouth with a hand seal. _

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Sakura bit back the urge to cry as she remembered the Uchiha's own words.

_Anything you do, we can counter. _

If he had killed Ayame, she had partly contributed to his wrath, and she had no right to lay the blame on anyone else. Besides, he could have recognized her too, after all, they were probably the same age, and Itachi grew up in Konoha.

_Shame on me. _

Palms stiffly on his temples, Sakura willed herself to focus on the task at hand. Then as if suddenly remembering something, she ventured, "Do you fear that you will go blind in the future, Itachi-san?"

Itachi met her gaze and held it. "It is foolish to fear what we have yet to see, Sakura."

She winced as she heard him speak her name.

"Of course, Itachi-san," Sakura went on, before she could stop herself. "You cannot fear what you _cannot_ see."

His lips formed the slightest suggestion of a smile, as though he found something funny with her retort.

"I'm grateful…" Itachi spoke in a low voice, ignoring her riposte. "That my brother has someone like you."

Sakura stopped channeling chakra to her hands, her face an unspoken question. _Is he playing games with me?_ As she took a sudden step backward, Sakura struggled to steady herself using the kitchen table. She grimaced as she felt her strength leave her. Her head light, her sight fuzzy Sakura realized that she had not eaten anything substantial after their trip and before healing the Uchiha. Hands trembling, she began to slump on the floor, when Itachi caught her waist in a swift movement.

"I'm fine." The desperate voice was hers, and she was surprised at its sound. Feebly she tried to push his hands away, but he did not budge. "I can walk. I'm fine."

With her remaining strength, Sakura held on to the kitchen table but her fingers lost their will. Desperation widened inside her, pushing all confidence, all pride. It was pointless now; she had never mastered the art of hiding her emotions.

"Did you kill her, Itachi-san?"

Silence ensued then. Sakura was acutely aware that the Uchiha simply stood there, his eyes boring into her. _I should not have expected anything from him, _she thought, lowering her head to hide the tears that gathered at the corners of her eyes. As if on cue Sakura fell limply in the Uchiha's arms, who wordlessly slung her half-awake body on his back, and made for her room. She nestled her head on his back and clasped her hands around his neck. A look of surprise crossed the Uchiha's face when he realized that his bare back all of a sudden felt wet. The kunoichi was weeping, and the sobs shook her small frame. She was grieving for her loss, and for his coldness, never realizing how Itachi stood unmoving, frozen to the spot as she cried her heart out.

* * *

It was beautiful, the way the forest seemed to go on and on from where she stood. The sunlight was making patterns of molten gold on the forest grounds. Admiring its glory from afar, Sakura walked idly by its edge, careful not to stray too far as she felt a pair of eyes land on her back. Apprehensive, she cast a sidelong glance at their hideout. Kisame was inside, watching her through the kitchen window as he groomed his samehada.

_I can feel his bloodlust from here. _Sakura shivered involuntarily, then made her way back to the kitchen.

She pointedly ignored the Sharkman whose dark, beady eyes never left her from the moment she ventured outside their hideout. Sitting directly before him at the kitchen table, she began to eat the rice balls in peace.

Kisame spoke first. "Itachi-san asked me to give you this, kunoichi."

It was a large, black notebook. Sakura looked quizzically at Kisame, then nodded in understanding. It was as if the Uchiha had read her mind. She needed a notebook to write her observations down.

"Thank you, Kisame," was Sakura's only reply, taking the notebook from Kisame.

"Heh, kunoichi. This is rare."

Sakura looked up from devouring her first rice ball.

"You are in a good mood."

Confused, Sakura decided to make no comment. Kisame smirked knowingly. "You seem to have made the habit of being rescued by Itachi-san. I don't know what a cold-hearted man like him sees in you."

Sakura winced at Kisame's choice of words. He was brutally frank and honest, she would give him that. Kisame went on, reproach written on every furrowed line on his brow. "And I can say the same for Uchiha Sasuke. Rumor has it he returned to Konoha because of a former teammate, not the Kyuubi, of course."

"Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, Kisame?"

Kisame chuckled, and then said, rather furtively. "You are naïve, kunoichi."

"And you are being rude, Kisame." Sakura retorted wryly. "I have a name, you know. It's Sakura. Besides," she added absently, "Sasuke-kun did not return because of me."

"That's a shame, Sakura," came the riposte, "because I have been hearing rumors that he just recently regrouped his team, Hebi. Maybe to retrieve you."

Caught in mid-gesture, mid-movement, Sakura froze from devouring yet another rice ball, then snapped in irritation. "That's not true. You don't know who he is."

"And you think you do."

"He has come back to Konoha for good, Kisame." Sakura forced herself to say it. She did not believe a word of it.

"Or maybe..." Kisame continued, decidedly speculative. "Maybe he's chasing Itachi-san after all. As rumors would have it, he's gathered quite a troublesome group of shinobi." Kisame grinned nastily. It seemed he was enjoying _this. _"Heh. That's one fight I'd like to see."

Sakura grimaced. If he was provoking her, he was doing a good job of it. "Sasuke-kun is in Konoha as we speak. Naruto would ensure that."

"The kyuubi?"

"You love rumors don't you, Kisame?" She continued, rather hotly. "But that's all that they are."

"Heh, Sakura," came his retort. "But it was all because of rumors that you were caught captive by Akatsuki."

_**Tsuzuku**_


	9. Chapter 9: The Reunion

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Reunion**

Mechanical feet bounded straight through the familiar pavement. The rain was unrelenting, punishing him with cold piercing blades but he tried not to feel it. Blood mixed with water and made a muddled up trail but it would be dry by morning. For now, he had to find someone.

He had had plans, but as always, there were foils that ruin even the best laid plans. He was able to kill the snake wielder, and he would have been able to find his brother with a small team, but for now, he needed this.

He walked up to the nearest tree to see if he was near. Making a leap to the nearest branch, he found the window he was looking for.

Without another thought he slowly slid open the window latch and stepped in.

He was only barely able to dodge the kunai that whistled past his ear.

Then he heard another kunai, but this time he heard it as it fell to the floor with a thud. There was a muffled cry, then the sound of a body collapsing on the floor but he was guessing her knees hit the floors first. It had been a long time since he heard the sound of her cry and warmth swept over him. It was years past since he felt raw emotions from another person, and her transparency as always, made him think twice with wonder.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sakura buried her face in her hands, her sobs coming out in muffled sighs. She hadn't seen him in such a long time that seeing him now, in this state, hurt her so much that she had forgotten every wrong he had done against her. If he wanted to kill her, she had no power to defend herself. "Tell me this is not a dream."

Sasuke walked toward his former teammate, who was crouched low in the corner, sobbing. He looked at her small frame, and in silence thought that some things never change.

She had stopped crying then, "Why did you come back, Sasuke-kun?"

He stiffened at the words and released her, looking at her straight in the eye. Sakura stared back. He had not noticed the steel in her eyes before.

"You had told me before that you would do anything…even help me get my revenge."

Dismayed, Sakura shook her head slowly. "I merely hoped to make you stay," she said, the tears forming slowly in her eyes. He had not forgotten her words, but he had not abandoned his quest for revenge either.

Sasuke suddenly pushed her to the bed and held her down with his iron-like grip, "then I will stay," he hissed, his lust lacing his every word. She tasted her own blood almost as instantly as his lips lowered down to meet hers. She had never seen him this way, but as his steely maleness grinded against her hips, terror began to engulf her. She had mentally and emotionally prepared for the day that he returned, but now that he was here, she did not know what to do.

Pulling away gently, she put her hands to his face in a feeble attempt to slow the man down, and for the second time asked, "Why did you come back?"

"I need you to find something for me, Sakura. I need a cure."

"Sasuke-kun, what happened to Orochimaru?"

Sasuke stared at her hard this time, his words clear and deliberate. "He is dead."

"No, he is not, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's entire expression tightened in displeasure. Sakura knelt on the bed and cupped his face in her hands gently, staring back at him defiantly, "He is in you."

His eyes betrayed his wonder at how much she has changed, at how much stronger and sharper she was, and how the curves had wonderfully filled her body. A malevolent glint shone in his eyes, and it did not go unnoticed. Sakura heaved a sigh, knowing that she can never deny him anything, if he asked for it. It had been years but her feelings for him remained as pure as ever.

"I wish only," Sakura began softly. Sasuke was waiting. "that you would stay, here, in Konoha. This is your home, Sasuke-kun."

"Then you will tell me how to remove the cursed seal completely, along with Orochimaru."

Sakura nodded weakly. He was using her, but she let him, just so long as Team 7 will be one once more.

Thanks to her contacts in other countries, Sakura's pool of information was always updated, also because of her regular medical missions abroad. She was sure she had heard of an ultimate sealing technique before, and it could probably help Sasuke separate himself from Orochimaru.

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted with a loud banging on her front door. At once Sakura pushed Sasuke aside and rushed downstairs. Naruto was panting heavily on her doorstep.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto-kun! What is it?"

"What have you been doing Sakura-chan?" Naruto stared at Sakura's dishevelled form, and gaped openly. "The guards were found unconscious at the gates! The intruder has not been found yet."

Unable to speak Sakura clutched the door hard, not willing to give Naruto a better view of her house. Sasuke might have followed her downstairs—

"They haven't checked this house yet," was the calm response behind Sakura, who lowered her head, embarrassed. Naruto pushed the door hard, and saw, behind her, his former teammate, and friend.

* * *

Four years in the wilderness and in the lair of the snake made a broken man out of Sasuke. His strength was indubitable; he had gained so much in his years as a rogue shinobi, but he had decided to come back, temporarily leaving his team by going back to Konoha. Some had seen repentance in his silence in accepting the sanctions he was given, such as being limited in movement in the first week he was home. Some had seen change in him, as he was back to his quiet, collected self around Naruto and Sakura. They had thought he abandoned his quest for revenge.

They could never have seen through him.

Konoha wielded the best medic-nins, and the Godaime, Shizune, and his own teammate Sakura were proof of that. Konoha also had the best information regarding cursed seals. Ultimately he had come back to seek treatment from the cursed seal. He was better, stronger than anything his former teacher can offer, including even the uncontrollable chakra that had saved him during some battles, but he knew that the power of the Uchiha was far greater than the sannin's. He needed him no more. The man however, or what was left of him, latched himself inside his body like a parasite, and he wanted him out. One person had effortlessly reversed some of the effects of the cursed seal on him during the Chuunin exams, and he couldn't quite explain the effect she had on him, but now that she was the Godaime's pupil, she probably had answers. And even though she had seen through him, he had sworn her to silence. Her only condition was that he stay in Konoha, something she should never have believed, not for a single moment.

"Was it successful?"

Sasuke's thoughts were abruptly cut off, and he turned to Juugo, who was feeding his birds calmly by the tree. "Aa."

"But the cursed seal isn't gone, Sasuke! You shouldn't have gone back in the first place." In reality Karin highly doubted if he accomplished anything by returning. He had stayed only for a few weeks, and did not bother to tell them what he was after.

Kirigakure's Suigetsu looked up while sipping noisily from his water bottle. "You're just jealous, Karin. He was with the green-eyed medic nin. And she's really pretty, you know—"

Karin blushed to the roots of her hair. "Wh-Why don't you just evaporate!" she bellowed, her hands flailing wildly.

Suigetsu flashed a perfect set of sharklike teeth. "Why are you stammering so badly, Karin?"

"Sasuke!" Karin diverted her attention to the Uchiha. "Why don't we just leave this kappa here for good, ne, Sasuke? He's slowing us down!"

"Karin, Suigetsu. Juugo." Sasuke interrupted, a distant look written on his face. They stopped squabbling then. "We're going after Itachi."

Jugo nodded in assent. He had gathered a bit of information regarding several Akatsuki hideouts. Karin adjusted her glasses importantly, then cast a sidelong glance in Suigetsu's direction. He was grinning naughtily, clutching his cleaver like a toy. Karin sighed. We_ should just leave this kappa here. _

"After Itachi, we search for the Blade of Totsuka."

* * *

Sakura bolted up from slumber. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

_I should stop listening to that Kisame. _

She had been thinking about what he said regarding Sasuke's plan to pursue Itachi and leave Konoha for the second time, and now it bothered her even in her sleep.

_But this is my fault. _

She had given Sasuke ammunition by telling him about the Blade of Totsuka, and now her act of generosity might have backfired. The Blade of Totsuka was the ultimate sealing technique, superior to what Kakashi-sensei had used, The Evil Sealing Method, which relied mostly on Sasuke's will not to improve upon the seal. This had failed miserably. Sasuke sought Orochimaru himself, but had changed his mind just when Orochimaru had prepared to use his body as a vessel. Sasuke would probably not hold on to his end of their bargain of staying in Konoha in exchange for information regarding his seal, knowing that it was useless to waste time looking for it when Orochimaru himself had not found it, and no one else in recent history has. To add to the grimness of it all, he did not even know if Sakura was still alive. The bargain question was already moot and academic.

_It seems I'm not really good at making deals. _

Sakura smiled wryly to herself. After all, she had managed to be taken captive by the Akatsuki. And it did not help that Kisame had proudly rubbed this fact to her face just recently. It all sounded dubious, the way he said that rumors led them to her.

_Was it all planned? By Uchiha Itachi? If it was, then he probably did not intend to capture Naruto, but rather take her, a medic nin, captive._

Shrugging the question off, Sakura threw herself back on the bed, then stared restlessly at the ceiling.

Itachi was a puzzle. If only his name was not written in the bingo book, she would have thought he was a bit of a gentleman. Besides that part about Ayame, which remains a question to this day, he was kind and thoughtful to her, in his own way. He bought her undergarments, and a notebook to write on. He had once saved her from Kisame himself and the bandits. Grudgingly, she admitted, Kisame was right, in a way. She had made the habit of being rescued by Itachi. He even rescued her from herself, when, during the first time she healed him, she collapsed due to fatigue. She remembered him carrying her on his back.

Sakura hugged her pillow, and buried her face there, remembering vaguely how Itachi carried her on his back. Despite herself, Sakura smiled at the thought. For a cold-hearted man, as Kisame had called his own partner, Itachi's body was warm.

_**Tsuzuku**_


	10. Chapter 10: The Attack

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Attack**

Sakura failed to take note of exactly how long she had stayed in the Akatsuki lair, but she surmised that it was already two weeks. Two weeks living with S-class felons in the bingo book and she was still alive. For that alone, she was grateful.

She had taken note of the Uchiha's condition, and it was not impossible to heal him for the most part, although some of the damage cannot be undone. Their sessions took two to three hours at times, and after only three sessions Itachi's eyesight had improved substantially.

_It will be easier to dispose me now. _

Sakura did not tell him this. Most of the time the kunoichi stayed in her room avoiding contact with the partners unless necessary and wrote down notes in the notebook the Uchiha had given her but tonight, she decided to walk around their abode. She did not plan to escape, as there was no use attempting with a curse mark on her chest, but she could not sleep.

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, and then exhaled softly. It was probably midnight by now. She walked idly near the forest, savoring one of the few moments when she actually did not feel like a prisoner. It was already very late, but it seemed no one was home, and there was nothing wrong with staying at the edge of the forest. Sakura then walked up to the nearest tree to sit on the highest branch by channeling the chakra to her feet. She remembered those exercises with team 7 which Naruto found hard to do, back when they were genins. Sakura smiled to herself. She missed them all so much—Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei—that it hurt her to think about them, and to think that she will not be able to see them again.

Careful not to make any noise, she leaned her head on the sturdy trunk and observed the forest in the dark. She had been here long enough, and it seems that there was no one in sight.

The Akatsuki partners seemed not to have missions at all, for she was never left alone at the hideout. Most of the time Kisame remained at the abode with her, but she was careful not to cross him. Even if he had already began calling her by name, Sakura could not forget how he once threatened to take both her legs off one breakfast, just to make his job of guarding her easier.

"_I can take a leg or two off, Itachi-san. It would make this so much easier," Kisame began while munching chicken leg. "And we need to pick up on our quota." _

_Startled, Sakura turned to look at Kisame, who was busy chomping on his food. He went on. "We don't want stray senbons catching us off guard."_

_She looked at the samehada behind him and tried hard not to blink. On a second thought, she gloated inwardly: her one shining moment of escape had a lasting impact on one of the Mist Seven. But this was no time to be gloating, after all—_

"_It might reduce her chakra control, Kisame." Itachi looked at her, as if assessing her current state, then, casually, "That would be a bother."_

_It was Kisame's turn to look at her. They talked as if she was not eating there with them and she despised them both. "Of course, Itachi-san. But I'll be glad to dispose of her after your eyes are healed."_

It seemed that Kisame's pastime was getting on to her nerves. Breakfast went on as usual after that, but Sakura made efforts to pointedly ignore or rather, avoid both of them in the days that followed. She never asked them about anything even if questions listlessly formed at the back of her mind. Instead, she wrote every single question and observation she had on her notebook, every detail that stood out, every nuance, and word, that may somehow be the key to understanding everything about Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi's health condition, and even his character.

For instance, there was the odd way the partners interacted, which Sakura was careful to note. While he had tortured and almost killed her during her first day at their abode and now he is threatening to amputate her, Kisame was exceptionally respectful and loyal to the Uchiha, as he follows the Uchiha's instructions wordlessly, and constantly looks out for his wellbeing, as he was the one who ensures they eat safely, that is, that the food contains no poison.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, was a mystery. From what she knew about him, Sakura expected a criminal with neither morality, nor manners, at the very least. But in various occasions he had saved her life, and, she never wanted to admit it, but he was kind to her. She was careful to write this down in her notebook. He carried her to her room when she dozed off while healing him the first time, and once, in the cave, he himself healed her and covered her nakedness. When she was first taken captive, he apparently had orders to the effect that she should not be harmed unnecessarily. It might be because he thought of her as his property, which was the exact word he used when he captured her. And he probably will kill her soon, as he had impliedly allowed Kisame to do so one breakfast. That was obvious from the beginning, especially from the fact that she had his mark, and she was never left alone in the hideout.

Sakura sighed. She was the only fool in the equation.

* * *

"The woman?"

Sakura almost jumped out of her skin. The voice belonged to the Uchiha. She did not notice that she had dozed off.

_Damn I've been careless._

"Home, Itachi."

The voice was coarse and gruff. The hairs on her neck stood out. _Another Akatsuki member? Who is the woman? _She steadied herself in the darkness of the night, willing herself not to do anything. They did not sense her presence.

"The news will reach the Hokage soon. As far as they're concerned, she's dead."

"Your tsukiyomi is wonderful, as always. She will never know what hit her," came a rather easygoing voice. It was beaming with obvious admiration for the Uchiha. Hands trembling, Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from gasping. There were three people below her.

_Were they talking about…Ayame-san?_

"Then," the coarse voice spoke this time, his words deliberate, "I don't owe you anything, Itachi."

There was a slight movement on the ground, and then the voices were gone.

"How convenient for you, Itachi-san. Zetsu is efficient, and fast and he owes you a favor. But can you trust him?" It was Kisame.

There was silence, then Kisame spoke once more.

"It doesn't matter now. They will never find her here…although the _others_ might."

"The others, we need not worry about. There is no need to start a war over one kunoichi."

"Of course, Itachi-san."

Light footsteps soon followed, and then they were gone. It would not take long for them to realize that she was not inside the house, and that she had overheard their conversation.

_Yes, I am the fool in this equation. _

It was too much to bear. Itachi had not killed Ayame. He had used her. He used some hypnotic technique on her so that she will spread the word of her death. It seemed as if the temperature suddenly dropped. She was dead- Sasuke thought she was dead. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, the Godaime thought she was dead.

_They will never find her here…although the others might…_

_The others, we need not worry about. There is no need to start a war over one kunoichi._

Raw rage welled up in her and she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to kill him. She felt cornered. Sakura sat still on one branch and propped both her legs up, burying her face on her knees, her hands up in her head. She was sobbing so vigorously, her small frame shaking in an attempt to be silent. He used her, deceived her and just signed her death warrant. The final nail was already on the coffin.

Sakura managed a wane, almost maniacal smile.

She had her own hell to raise.

_Don't give me a reason to kill you._

She'd test the waters.

* * *

_I will end you with my bare hands, Uchiha Itachi._

Without knocking she entered into Itachi's room, and seeing that he wasn't there, instantly knew that he was taking a bath. There was no longer any thought, no plan, to the action. Sakura dove in and attacked the Uchiha in the shower, who, in a quick series of movements, was able to cover himself with a towel. Sakura couldn't care less. With a single kick she brought the bathroom walls down, and then the door. With a speed she didn't think she had in her, she attacked him so that he did not have any chance to form seals with his hands to incapacitate her.

The Uchiha was calmly parrying, but he could not form hand seals. He did not bring out any shuriken and kunai, and it seems he planned to fight in a level playing field, as the kunoichi also had not brought out any weapons herself.

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. There was no use stopping now. "You bastard!" she snarled, venom dripping audibly in her voice.

Itachi looked calmly at her. Sakura avoided his gaze and focused on his feet. He landed a kick to her stomach but she immediately countered by hitting his hands, the pain effectively preventing him from forming any seals. But this was temporary. He pushed her hard against the mirror that it broke, but she countered again with a high kick to the head, then to the shin.

"You are strong, Sakura."

Sakura hated the dead calm about him because he was toying with her, and she wanted to punch him to oblivion. In that second of distraction however the Uchiha turned the tables and was able to turn her around as he caught her wrists and pinned her hard against the wall so that she faced the broken mirror.

"But if you were serious, you should have numbed my sight first."

Before her was the Uchiha, his eyes beginning to form the sharingan that Sakura had read about only in the books. She heard him whisper, so close to her ear her entire body stood taut at the contact.

"What is the thing you fear most, Sakura?"

In the millisecond just before it hit her, Sakura screamed and shut her eyes close.

* * *

She was waiting for the blinding pain, but nothing came. She felt Itachi inches away from her, staring intently at her form, as his breath began to fan her face. His hands still pinned her arms, but this time her body pressed against him, with her head sideways and her eyes completely shut. She did not plan to open them, not so long as the Uchiha stood before her like a sentinel, waiting to pound on her the moment she opens her eyes, armed with the deadly Tsukiyomi he had used on Ayame.

She had seen its fatal effects on Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. And both had sharingan.

She was helpess. She was as helpless as a baby. Sakura willed her tears to stop coming out, struggling to keep hold of her emotions, just like her former twelve-year old self. Only she was four years older and it wasn't Sasuke in front of her right now.

_Weak still._

"Sakura," he began, in the unbearable way he said her name, "open your eyes."

"You've made enough use of me, Itachi-san." The tears were freely rolling down her cheeks, and even if she couldn't see him, she knew that he was staring at her with Tsukiyomi. Her throat constricted; it became hard for her to speak so that her voice dropped a register: "just let me go home."

He was silent. The air was heavy with tension, filled only with the sobs that racked her body.

"I've kept my end of the bargain," she appealed earnestly. "You are healed now," she added emphatically, tears coming down like a torrent. Telling him he was already healed was the last weapon in her arsenal and she was now utterly useless before him. "And you didn't have to do _that _to Ayame-san. Don't keep me here like this, like a slave. Let me go home. To Konoha."

"Look at me, Sakura." His voice dropped a register, her name becoming a strange word in his series of commands.

Sakura shook her head vigorously in refusal. It did not matter that she was utterly useless now and death waited patiently for her. She did not want to go home in a body bag, or with Tsukiyomi as a souvenir. But it seems she was not going to get either wish.

"Sakura," he said her name once more as though it was a command, harsh and unrelenting. It sounded foreign even to her own ears, and as she felt him move even closer, Sakura half-expected him to force her to look at her, but the Uchiha had other things in mind.

She gasped when she felt him cover the hairbreadth distance that separated them, his lips faintly touching hers. Surprised at the slight contact Sakura's lids flew open. They stood before each other, his forehead leaning on hers, her chest meeting his in every rise and fall, with Itachi slowly letting her hands free. He then cupped her face in one hand, and wrapped his other strong arm around her waist. She felt his body tense against hers, as her own began to sag in his grip. His eyes were pitch black with unyielding passion, instead of Sharingan red with fury as she had thought. His lips touched hers, ever so slightl_y_, but he did not kiss her.

Time had stopped then.

Sakura gulped nervously, her heart picking up tempo in alarm and in something else she couldn't quite explain. A shiver went through her spine and she knew it wasn't because of the cold.

"Itachi-san..." It was a question, but no one had any answer. Itachi's lips had parted then, slightly, as if to say something.

"Sakura," was his only reply, his voice thickening.

She could almost taste the hesitation on his lips.

Eyes closed once more, Sakura let out a small gasp as his lips moved slowly, gently to her ears, as he said the one word that brought her to submission.

"Stay."

_**Tsuzuku**_

* * *

**Author's notes: **Let me know what you think! :) Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 11: Departure

**COLD **

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Departure**

Wasting no time at all, she began to speak.

"Sakura is dead."

Silence.

"Or atleast, that's what they want us to believe."

Naruto looked at her quizzically then snarled. "I don't—"

"Naruto, listen first," Kakashi called to his student. Naruto clenched his fists.

"Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, came back sick. She is at the hospital right now, but she is recovering fast. She claims to have seen the body of a woman resembling Sakura."

The silence that consumed the air took long to finally go, and when it did, Naruto went straight to the nearest wall, then, muttering a string of curses, hit it with full force. His screams were deafening and there was no way to blame him. For the first time, the Godaime let him. Shutting her eyes close, she took a deep breath, then held her head between her hands.

Kakashi's brow furrowed. "She came back sick from what?"

Tsunade nodded to Shizune by her side. Shizune cleared her throat, then, "That's where our problem begins. Ayame seemed to have been hit by a mild hypnosis. She has recovered quickly, but she doesn't remember any details of her trip, save for what she had been saying since she came here—that she saw Sakura's body."

"She was under tsukiyomi?" Kakashi said.

"It's possible."

"She could've died, but she didn't," Kakashi noted, suddenly remembering how he was hit with the same thing, but did not die.

Naruto gritted his teeth in dismay. "Damn that Itachi!" He turned to the Fifth. "I don't care how many Akatsuki I have to fight, I will find him!"

"There's one other person we need to search for," Tsunade began. "Uchiha Sasuke has left Konoha once more. We fear this time it might be for good."

Naruto gritted his teeth once more. "If this is a joke, it's not funny, baa-chan."

Forehead creased, Kakashi folded his arms meaningfully. "If Itachi made an effort to make it seem she was dead, then chances are, Sakura is alive. I suggest we create a single search team for the two of them to increase mobility. If Sasuke is to find Itachi and fight him, Sakura is sure to be there too. This means we have to find Itachi first."

Tsunade nodded. Guilt crept to her spine because things had gone from bad to worse in only a day, especially for Naruto. Everything was doubly worse for him. Sasuke had left the village to seek revenge when they thought he had returned to them, and Sakura was in the hands of Uchiha Itachi. To top it all off, he was there when it all happened.

The Godaime exhaled meaningfully. There was no time to dawdle. After all, it was her pupil, her apprentice at issue. But she was the Godaime, and she already had a plan.

"Kakashi, prepare your search team. Yamato will come with you. Your mission is to find Itachi, and retrieve Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. You leave tomorrow morning."

* * *

She had been in the shower for thirty minutes, and she had no plans of going out just yet. Wrapping her arms around her Sakura savored the cold rush of water through her body, scrubbing herself clean of any thoughts of last night.

Everything had happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly. At some point while he was holding her so close, Sakura had thought everything was just genjutsu, until he released her gently, grabbed his clothes, and went out of the room, without another word.

_Stay. _

She shuddered at the thought of him. He was a mystery. Just when she thought she knew him and his devious ways, he surprised her by holding her in the way he did last night. No two people will probably ever have the same idea of him.

How many times she had seen his face, and always wearing the same inscrutable mask. His lips would curve with the slightest suggestion of a smile; that was his self when he knew he had gotten what he wanted. His brows would furrow, and his eyes more intense, when he was disobeyed or when he was calculating his next words, his next move. After all with him there were no wasted movements, and he alone knew how his different sides had fit together into one center, but he never showed a sign of all other sides of him. He was the same, always, alone in that center of his.

Sakura released a long sigh. To think that he almost kissed her last night. He was probably manipulating her and using her emotions to make her stay. For what reason she did not know, but she was sure of one thing, as embarrassing as it was: he had succeeded.

She was drawn to him; she did not understand as yet how or why or when it all began, but she knew, deep inside her, that had he kissed her, she would have given in just the same. She was fickle like that, easily drawn to men like him, men like Sasuke. But Sasuke remained a distant thought in these weeks with the Akatsuki partners. Sakura had long realized how unlike each other the brothers were. They only resembled each other in appearance. Itachi bore himself with ease and poise, and there was a gentleness to his touch, even as his words were laced with steel. She was sure there was a story behind those dark eyes of his, but she was not sure what it was.

Sakura stepped out of the shower and began drying herself, then gingerly put her clothes on.

A loud knock was heard. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She did not know what to say to Itachi if they met.

"We're going to town, Sakura."

It was Kisame. Sakura went to the door and opened it. Kisame seemed to have been waiting for her for some time. She nodded then walked beside him.

"Why are we going to town?"

"Itachi-san is there. He didn't come back last night, you know."

Sakura paused.

"What do you mean, Kisame? What happened?"

"I should be asking you that. Heh. I saw his room today."

Scowling, Sakura explained, "I was angry. He used genjutsu on Ayame-san."

Kisame chuckled. "You have quite a temper, kunoichi." Then he added, "We'll just fetch him then come back here. This is too gloomy a place to stay."

Sakura raised one eyebrow as if calculating her next words. "Why are we fetching him?"

Kisame looked at her, as if puzzled about something. "It's bad for his body if it's raining this hard."

Upon reaching the door outside, Sakura observed the sky. True enough, the thunderclouds had covered the sky like a gray sheet. Sakura looked at Kisame, who was carrying two Akatsuki cloaks. He handed one to her. "Wear this. We'll be there in no time."

"How do you know where he is?"

"We've been partners for quite some time. I should know where."

* * *

They arrived in town just minutes later. Kisame put on his Akatsuki hat which shrouded half his face. Sakura observed her own coat, which had no Akatsuki print. Altleast this way, she would not be mistaken as part of Akatsuki, she thought. Sakura followed Kisame until they entered a small tavern.

Kisame had explained that Itachi loved doing three things based on the weather—if the weather was fine, he would be practicing shuriken throwing or sitting quietly somewhere, observing the horizon. If the weather was bad, he would be drinking sake.

True enough, they found Itachi sitting by the corner of the tavern. The place was not full, and there were empty seats beside him. His back was facing them. Itachi was wearing only his usual black clothes, but as Sakura looked closely, she saw that he was only part dry.

"Sake this early? Heh. I thought so. You should have called me." Kisame grabbed a seat and sat across him. Sakura gulped, not knowing what to do. "Sakura, you can sit here."

Sakura obliged quietly, avoiding Itachi altogether. Kisame handed the coat wordlessly to Itachi, then ordered sake.

"Thank you, Kisame," said Itachi. Then looking at both of them, he said, "I'll get sake for two more."

Kisame chuckled as sake was served. He began pouring for Sakura, regarding her with interest. "Do you drink, Sakura? Heh. You're probably a minor."

Sakura grimaced. "I'm turning 17 in a few weeks, you fool, Kisame." She then took a long sip, as if to prove her point. Kisame burst laughing when Sakura frowned as she put her glass down.

"It's too hot!" Sake coursed through her throat, burning. Sakura wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She almost finished the glass in a single gulp but it was too strong for her. Exhaling softly, Sakura quietly observed as Itachi and Kisame enjoyed their drinks.

Kisame grinned, as if finding something exciting in the situation. "Itachi-san can beat me in everything, except sake drinking."

Itachi shut his eyes briefly, then gave an amused look to his partner. "In everything? How modest, Kisame."

"Well," Kisame began casually, "You're definitely more powerful." Sakura's eyebrows lifted slightly. He really was unabashedly honest and frank, that shark man Kisame. "And the ladies love you." He pointed to his right as if by way of explanation. A group of waitresses huddled in a corner, darting glances from time to time in their general direction, and were most likely talking about the Uchiha.

"But you never beat me in sake drinking, Itachi-san."

Itachi looked at him. "Don't get carried away, Kisame."

"Let's see that for ourselves, shall we, Itachi-san?"

The drinking game ensued. Sakura smiled, despite herself. Watching those two made her feel oddly comfortable, despite the fact that she was the captive here. Days ago she would have felt out of place in such an unlikely situation like this, but now she was enjoying herself as well.

They ordered ten more bottles, then the contest ensued. It seemed though, that Kisame was not bluffing when he said he always beat the sharingan user in sake drinking. Sakura watched them closely as they gobbled down bottle after bottle of sake, as if they were no more than water. Quite the reverse, she was beginning to feel the first signs of stupor.

Ten bottles of sake later, Kisame was already finishing his own set, while Itachi was only beginning his last. Slamming his last bottle down, Kisame snarled, victorious. "My win, Itachi-san."

Exhaling heavily, Itachi's lips formed a small smile. "Then it's on me."

Kisame chuckled. "At the rate you're going Itachi-san, you'll drive yourself to the poor man's house in no time."

Without another word the Uchiha stood up, then approaching the counter, took out a thick wad of bills and without counting handed them over. The ladies at the counter were gushing with amazement.

"Heh," Kisame was amused, and Sakura was acutely aware that two pairs of eyes were suddenly on her. Her head felt dangerously light. Leaning on the table slightly she forced herself to look at Kisame directly. Kisame chuckled when their eyes met, "You're drunk, child."

Sakura steadied herself by holding on to the table as she stood up. In a moment's weakness she swayed dangerously, but quickly straightened herself. Her head was swirling, there was a tingling sensation in her fingers, and her body was moving on its own.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Sakura." It was the Uchiha.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.

Wordlessly the Uchiha walked behind her as he slung his coat on; Kisame followed suit, putting his Akatsuki hat on his head, while laughing, "We should've gone to a yogurt place instead."

It was almost lunch, and there were a few people around, but the street was strangely quiet. The three of them reached the forest edge in no time, and began trudging the same path on their way back to the Akatsuki hideout. The foliage of the trees created such mass of shadows that it suddenly seemed more like midnight. The wind had turned cold then. Sakura unconsciously wrapped her arms around her.

"Looks like the sky's not clearing anytime soon," Kisame grunted.

A cloud of mist began to perforate the air. Squinting to get a better view of the direction they were going, Sakura wondered how thick it had so quickly become after rainfall.

"Your techniques are useless before me." It was the Uchiha.

Sakura took this information in slowly. _What—?_

She failed to avoid the first senbon, but the Uchiha was fast, as expected. Before Sakura was even aware that they were being attacked, the Uchiha appeared before her and in a single movement deflected it.

A rain of senbon soon followed from all over the place. Kisame and Itachi immediately formed a protective circle around her, but one senbon had grazed her left thigh. Sakura fell limp to the ground, shadowed by the Akatsuki partners. Realizing she had no access to her chakra and therefore no way to fight, Sakura decided to lay low behind them.

_Why are we being attacked?_

Kisame grunted for the second time that day, while using the samehada to repel all the attacks. "I'm really not in the mood for a fight. But I guess the bounty for your head is too high, Itachi-san. There are about thirty of them. This is annoying."

"No, probably forty. Go north, Kisame, Sakura. Do not engage them."

_Forty? Why can't they engage them? Why north?_

Sakura moaned weakly as she struggled to stand. This was almost laughable. She was the captive and yet she was being protected. Her thoughts were cut off when she heard the screams, and smelled the stench of burning flesh. Cries of more fallen men soon followed, echoing through the forest.

_Katon?_

Sakura looked up from where she sat and observed a large fire before her.

_That was fast. He was able to form the seals for Katon Goukakyuu while deflecting those small senbon and parrying the men who had began to attack them at a closer range. _

It was beyond her why these ninja would want to attack s-rank felons like Kisame and Itachi, and carelessly at that. They couldn't possibly be thinking about risking their lives for money. She looked at her small wound and wondered if it was poisoned.

It did not help that sake was still warm in her stomach.

She gasped when she felt Kisame's arm around her waist.

"We'll meet there, then, Itachi-san."

"What are you doing!" shrieked Sakura as Kisame bounded off to the forest.

"Itachi-san will be dealing with those men. We're outnumbered kunoichi."

"Another hideout? Why aren't we returning?"

Kisame dove for cover as a flurry of kunai flew in their direction then released his samehada and with a single hand swung it to throw the kunai back to their pursuers. "It is most likely that that place was attacked as well."

"Where are we going to stay then?"

"Some spies maintain places for us to stay, and there's one up north." He paused, then added as an afterthought, "Heh. This is troublesome. I can't engage them with you here. It's annoying to have to protect anyone at all."

Sakura's forehead creased in uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"Do you know, Sakura," he began, as he increased his speed, "that I was the one who requested that Itachi-san and I become partners? It's because have one thing in common: we killed all our own comrades. Everyone else is just prey for us," he paused, then added, "and that includes you."

Sakura's face darkened considerably. She should've expected this from someone like him. He was still as heartless as ever, despite everything good that she tried to think about the shark man. Deeply troubled, she struggled in his grasp. "If you really don't have any shred of humanity left, Kisame, you should've just dropped me somewhere."

Kisame snorted, dispelling the dark aura that hovered above her, "I can't leave you, kunoichi. Itachi-san's orders."

"Why do you follow everything he says?"

Kisame sped some more. "I just said it a while ago. He's far more powerful than I am."

Sakura chose to remain silent, taking in the insights into the shark man's character slowly. Turning slightly, she concluded, "They're gaining in on us. They must've thought I was Akatsuki."

Kisame chuckled. "That can't be helped. You're wearing Itachi-san's clothes."

Sakura wisely chose to remain silent once more. She knew she was blushing, but it was too dark, he would never notice. She wondered if he was following them soon. But Itachi can hold hundreds of them off, she thought as she brushed thoughts of him aside. Unfortunately, their former hideout was probably sacked by now, and the people from Cloud would have taken her notebook.

"Anything wrong?" Kisame asked.

"My notebook… It's back at the house," lamented Sakura. But there was nothing she can do about it now.

"Kisame, stop!"

Surprised, Kisame abruptly stopped on a tree branch and put her down slowly. Sakura freed herself from his grasp and took a look at his upper arm, near his right shoulder. A senbon was stuck there. "You're wounded. I think it's poisoned, Kisame."

Kisame turned his arm around. "It takes a lot more than this to bring me down, kunoichi."

"Kisame," Sakura began slowly. The sake's effects were wearing thin, while the poison's were thickening. "the senbon is still embedded on your arm. I'm surprised you did not notice quickly."

Kisame lowered his head to look at his shoulder. He still did not feel anything, but he was beginning to sweat profusely. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his arm.

Seeing his perplexed look, Sakura instinctively reached for her leg. "I was hit by the same thing." She did not notice that her thigh had grown slightly numb because Kisame had carried her during that time. Luckily, she was hit in the leg, and nowhere near the internal organs. But Kisame was hit on the right shoulder, and he did not notice it quickly.

_This is bad._

Kisame leaned on the tree trunk for support. His vision was also beginning to blur. He quickly pulled the senbon out of his arm. Thoughtlessly the pink-haired kunoichi tried to mold chakra in her hands, with Kisame's arm on her hand. Taken aback, Kisame gawked at her, then his forehead creased in confusion when he saw her recoil, as she held her chest.

"You're trying to heal me?" It was a statement, rather than a question. Sakura backed away, suppressing the urge to scream. Her chest felt like exploding. She thought she was supposed to be familiar with this kind of pain by now, but she was wrong.

"You should be more worried about yourself—" Kisame was unable to finish his statement. A man had descended upon them, but Kisame was fast, hitting him with samehada's tip. Sakura watched, aghast as well as amazed, as Kisame swung his samehada as if it were just another limb. Before long, the shark man was occupied by three men, and had failed to notice in time that a cloaked figure had emerged from somewhere, and snatched Sakura from behind him.

"You're annoying already," growled Kisame to the three men as he delivered his finishing attack, shaving the men to death with his samehada.

Kisame leapt to the next tree to begin his pursuit but was unable to go on. He held a hand to his neck and felt another senbon lodged there, then pulled it.

_They risked their lives to plant this on my neck? Idiots._

But the poison must be strong, to have caused him numbness immediately, as well as pain, and blurring vision. He was immune to petty poisons, being a tailless tailed beast himself, as he was called in the Mist, but whoever had devised this was an _expert_. He knew what kind of poison would affect his senses.

_Perhaps the kunoichi thought of this escape, just as she did before, hitting him on a sensitive spot in the neck._

Kisame almost laughed at the thought. It was impossible. After all, it was her blood that had spilt first.

_Orochimaru out for revenge on Akatsuki? Impossible. He already bit the dust. _

Kisame clicked his tongue impatiently, while wondering if the wound was fatal. It did not matter. He would heal soon, no matter the poison, but he needed time. Pushing all worries aside, he leapt to the second tree branch. He was making a lot of noise just by moving. Whoever had been following them a while ago had ceased wherever they were, so it was safe to assume that the kunoichi was the object of the attack after all.

He grunted wearily. Admittedly, he was poor in escort missions where protecting people and clients and even comrades were of utmost importance. Even when capturing jinchuuriki, he found it hard to keep them alive. That simply spelled trouble. This is why he wanted to be partnered with the Uchiha, who did not seem to need any help at all, unlike some unreliable Akatsuki members. But now the green-eyed kunoichi entered the picture.

He grunted once more, this time louder than the last. Someone he knew was not going to be pleased with this.

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you thinkkkk! :)


	12. Chapter 12: The Truth

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Truth**

"Who would've thought you'd play doctor to Akatsuki, Sakura-chan."

_That voice…_

Sakura drew a sharp intake of breath as the dark clad figure carried her in his arms like a bag of potatoes. Leaping quickly from tree to tree, the man turned to make sure no one was following. They were far from Itachi or Kisame by this time, and it would take time for either to follow them. Sakura squinted to get a better view of him, and confirmed her suspicion.

It was dark as they were deep in the forest, but there was no mistaking the faint glint of light on the man's round glasses.

"Kabuto!" cried Sakura, "Let go of me!" she struggled, all in vain. The poison was making her weak and loopy. "So you've set this all up? What do you want from me?" She sounded stronger than she actually felt.

Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses, then landed on a plain. He dropped her carefully, then stooped to look at her directly.

"So Itachi placed a seal on you? I didn't know he could do that." His voice was a hiss.

_He was watching the whole time? _

All traces of the relatively harmless man she had seen during the Chuunin exams was completely gone by now. For some reason, Sakura felt a slight tinge of fear. There was something different about him this time, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

Sakura gritted her teeth in anger. She did not know what he wanted, but she had met him during one of those missions to retrieve Sasuke-kun, and he had been completely twisted by Orochimaru. She tried to feel her leg but couldn't, and it had grown heavy under her.

"Do you feel it now?" Kabuto taunted. "The numbness will not go away. I'm sure you have an idea what poison I've used, Sakura-chan."

"This poison…" Sakura struggled for breath, "it's made of iron elements. I don't know what you're pulling now Kabuto, especially after you helped Orochimaru capture Sasuke-kun."

Kabuto smiled deviously. "As expected of Godaime's pupil. I'm sure you'll find the anecdote in no time, Sakura-chan." He was patronizing her, Sakura thought angrily. The numbness had spread on her left leg, and she was sweating profusely.

"I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to help you."

"So we're playing games now, Kabuto?" She could not hide the fear in her voice. She can almost imagine the poison seeping slowly to her stomach then to her heart…

_Shut up, Sakura. Calm is the key. Prolong the conversation and save your life._

"We don't have time, so I'll get straight to the point." He adjusted his glasses importantly, then, "Listen carefully. Itachi is using you to lure Sasuke-kun to vengeance, as well as to heal him. He will never give you your freedom. But he is weakened, and he has little time to tarry." A pause, as he let his words trail off, then "He is fatally ill."

Tearing away from his grasp, Sakura struggled to make sense of his words. "What do you mean? And why would I want to help you, Kabuto? You are a traitor, you betrayed us—"

"Isn't that what you're doing, Sakura-chan? Betraying Leaf? Just a while ago I saw you try to heal Hoshigaki Kisame," hissed Kabuto, mockery clear in his voice. "Let's make this clear, Sakura-chan. We have a common enemy. You may not have noticed, but Itachi's body is weak, and so are his chakra reserves. His circulatory system is badly damaged as well."

Kabuto's face was in a determined set, and it seemed that he was telling the truth. Sakura raised an eyebrow, willing herself to ignore his lies. Kabuto knelt closer to her. Taking her face in his hand, he drew her hair aside to look straight into her eyes. "As a medic nin you know this can't be healed with medical ninjutsu."

"And why will I believe someone like you, Kabuto?" returned Sakura vehemently. "You are a liar yourself."

Kabuto smiled in obvious pleasure. "I am a spy, Sakura-chan. There's a difference." He took her face in his hands once more. Sakura almost gasped when she saw that half his face had transformed into a snake but she tucked her anxiety behind. "In fact I know that you had exchanged yourself for Naruto-kun, which is a good thing, really, because I can't have Akatsuki take the nine-tails. But I can't let them take you too. It's dangerous if the Akatsuki makes use of a medical ninja of your caliber…"

"Cut the theatrics, Kabuto," Sakura hissed through gritted teeth. "I can't believe you've taken over Orochimaru's goals and beliefs. I'm not going to be your pawn. Besides, Itachi-san is strong, it's impossible for me to even graze him."

He beamed then, as though privy to an important secret. "Itachi has been taking medicines for some time now, Sakura-chan. Do you know why he drinks sake regularly?" Without waiting for her answer, he went on, "It's to keep his body warm, and to numb the pain, even for a while."

Sakura stared at him, at loss for words. She was trying to absorb all the information to her head, while at the same time trying to think straight. She was not a good negotiator, she reminded herself carefully. Then she smiled wearily. "You're a talented liar, Kabuto," she concluded. "You really are."

"I will not go so far for you if I was lying, Sakura-chan. I had to make a lot of preparations to separate those two from you. Let me put it differently, if you still don't understand." Kabuto lowered his voice, then, "Itachi is dying. All I want you to do is to accelerate the process. And you can do it, since you're always healing his eyes. Disrupt the chakra flow in his eyes and blind him completely. Then you can kill him."

"I'm not in the same league as you, Kabuto. I'm not doing _that_."

"Is that really the reason why you won't kill him, Sakura-chan? Or are you—" he paused meaningfully, "perhaps, attracted to him? After all, Sasuke-kun and Itachi are very similar."

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration. He was as persistent as a snake. "Don't tease me, Kabuto."

"What do you want, Sakura-chan?" continued Kabuto. "If you kill him, it'll end your captivity."

"Itachi is strong, Kabuto. Neither of us can beat him, even if we tried. Even Kisame said so."

Kabuto sniggered then, his laugh hollow made her insides tremble. "You don't understand, do you, Sakura-chan?" He went on, "In giving you this precious information, I'm giving you a shot at your freedom."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

_I'm giving you your freedom…_

Sakura tightened her grip on her leg. Someone had said the exact opposite just last night.

_Stay._

Confused, Sakura focused her gaze on Kabuto. All that Kabuto said just had the opposite effect on her. With a single word, Itachi had silenced her, changed her mind, and perhaps, changed the way she felt about him. She was seeing different sides of him that it was hard to reconcile everything with everything she had known about him from before. It may be foolish but she wanted to believe that there was hope, that perhaps Itachi had another story to tell, that perhaps there was a reason for everything he had done. After all, he was kind to her. If she was wrong then…

_What would Naruto have done? _

If there was one thing she wanted right now, it was not _freedom_.

It was the _truth_.

"No, Kabuto," she began, her resolve firm. "I'm staying with Itachi-san."

Kabuto scowled. "So this is how it's going to be?"

Taking one great leap backwards, Kabuto put some distance between himself and the pink haired kunoichi. "You are a greater fool than I thought you were, Sakura-chan. And now you're useless as well."

_He's attacking! _

Forcing herself up with her remaining strength, Sakura tried to run, dragging her left foot to get as far away from Kabuto as possible. He was a short-range fighter, but if he had obtained Orochimaru's jutsu as well, which is more likely, she was in a real pinch.

_Just as I thought! He has Orochimaru's jutsus—_

Snakes erupted from his arm, slithering their way on thin air.

_My leg! I won't be able to avoid this on time!_

Sakura braced for the impact, but it never came.

In a moment of panic she looked up, and saw that she was never the target of his attack. Kabuto had directed his attack somewhere beyond her, and then there was an explosion. Hurling herself to the ground Sakura ducked for cover then turned behind her as the smoke dissipated.

Kabuto was on his knees on the ground blood spurting from his mouth. Squinting to get a better look at him, Sakura noticed that his arm was injured. Just meters away from him, Itachi stood, waiting, dark red eyes gleaming in the dark. But there was something else.

A skeletal armor was around him, and it shone brightly in the dark, orange clashing against the black of the forest. A single arm was hovering before it, poised to attack. Marvelling at the sight, Sakura stared at Itachi's protective shell. She had never seen anything like it before, but it probably functioned like Gaara's sand, his absolute defense.

"Fast, as expected, Itachi," Kabuto panted. "I've never seen that attack before."

Itachi stood motionless, save for the large arm hovering before him.

The arm had balled its fist, then moved to strike, and fast.

Sakura barely had scream time as she realized that Itachi was about to kill Kabuto.

"Stop! Itachi!"

Caught in mid-air, the arm halted its movement, just a hairbreadth away from Kabuto. Frozen to the spot, Kabuto had not moved.

Sakura half-ran, half-dragged herself to Kabuto. "D-don't kill him," she beseeched the Uchiha.

"Don't interfere, Sakura," returned the Uchiha coldly, as he watched her make her move toward Kabuto.

"No holding back, eh, Itachi-san?" Kisame's voice boomed out of nowhere.

Sakura turned to their direction. Seeming unharmed, Kisame had planted himself beside his partner.

Sakura pushed with everything she had in her, which, she admitted ruefully to herself, wasn't a lot, really. By this time only adrenaline had pushed the kunoichi to position herself before Orochimaru's right hand man, effectively blocking the Uchiha from making any attacks on him. Kabuto was still coughing up blood behind her, struggling to stand up.

"He saved my life once," Sakura panted tiredly, "please let him go, Itachi-san. Just this once."

"Either you're still drunk, Sakura, or the poison has gotten to your brain," answered Kisame nastily. "Heh. Perhaps both. There's no use letting him live."

Ignoring Kisame and her leg, which seemed to be getting heavier by the minute, Sakura turned her gaze to Itachi. "Please," she pleaded once more, "spare him."

"Stand aside, Sakura," returned the Uchiha.

"I'm not moving away, Itachi-san," Sakura said evenly.

There was momentary silence, and for an instant tension hung in the air like an ominous cloud. With unmatched speed the arm shot up all of a sudden. Sakura closed her eyes, bracing for the imminent bloodshed, then felt herself being lifted from the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the hand had taken her from where she stood and placed her beside the Uchiha.

"Disappear, Kabuto."

"Not yet," countered Kabuto.

What happened next was still shrouded in uncertainty.

In a flash, snakes were summoned to encase Kabuto's body, and it seemed he was gone, when his voice came out of nowhere, barely concealing the veiled threat in his words: "This is not the last time we will meet, Uchiha Itachi."

The arm around the Uchiha moved to strike once more, but Kabuto had already disappeared.

Sakura clutched her leg unconsciously as she slumped to the floor once more. The protective shell around Itachi had disappeared.

"Heh," rumbled Kisame as soon as Kabuto was gone. "You're really one unusual woman, Sakura."

Sakura looked at the shark man who seemed to be the only one amused with everything that was happening.

"You risk your life for someone like him, and volunteer to heal me first before yourself. To think that you're also here because you volunteered to save the jinchuuriki." A pause, then, "It does seem like you have a death wish, you know?"

"I don't, Kisame," snapped Sakura, the pain in her leg forgotten. "I said this before. Kabuto had saved me once."

But Kisame was not done talking. "But you have Itachi-san to thank, kunoichi. That was some show of kindness, coming from a cold-hearted man like him."

Sakura blinked. "I don't understand…"

"Isn't it obvious?" returned Kisame eagerly. "He let him escape." He turned to the Uchiha, then chuckled. "Itachi-san, it's uncharacteristic of you."

_He let him escape? _

"But it's uncharacteristic of you too, Sakura, to want to stay as well. This is just getting exciting," grinned Kisame. "Women are so fickle."

Sakura's face darkened.

_Was Kisame here the whole time? And Itachi?_

"Damn you, Kisame. Were you just here all along? You knew I couldn't access my chakra. And I'm not fickle."

"No," Kisame shot back, "I arrived just before that man attacked."

Sakura turned to the Uchiha, wondering how much they knew. "And you? Were you here all along?"

There was a momentary pause, then, "no."

"What did he want, that man?" asked Kisame.

"He wanted to draw you both out. Maybe he has a grudge against you two, I don't know." Sakura lied unflinchingly. If Kisame and Itachi were lying about not being there, then she would know by the way they would react to her lie.

The Uchiha remained impassive. Kisame smiled nastily, "then he shouldn't have run. I would've enjoyed shredding him to ribbons."

The Uchiha smirked. "You sure talk a lot for someone who got beat by Kabuto's senbon, Kisame."

"Poisoned, Itachi-san," came the quick riposte, "And that guy knew what poison would affect me."

"Kabuto is Orochimaru's right hand man, Kisame," said Sakura.

"And it seems he bears the same grudge against us," Kisame continued. "After defecting from Akatsuki ten years ago, it seems Orochimaru hasn't forgotten about Itachi-san."

"Orochimaru joined Akatsuki?" asked Sakura.

Kisame chuckled. He was enjoying _this. _"He tried to take over Itachi-san's body. He lost an arm in the process and failed, then defected from Akatsuki, and now he's back from the dead."

Sakura blinked at the information. It seemed that Orochimaru was hell bent on getting an Uchiha body.

Itachi slowly sauntered to her and Sakura was suddenly aware that she was really useless, with her leg like this. She wouldn't even be able to walk. She looked at him in surprise as he bent to take her on his back. Sakura silently obliged. Her leg was killing her.

"I found a cave near this place, Itachi-san. Five hundred meters north. We can stay there to rest," said Kisame.

"I need to heal myself," she muttered weakly. "If there's a river or anything body of water near, I can do it."

"We'll be looking for the river then. Kisame, stay by the cave to heal."

"Itachi-san, Kisame was also hit by a poisoned senbon."

"His body heals itself naturally. He just needs to rest for a short time. Besides," Itachi said casually, "It seems bad things happen when you and Kisame are left alone together. Bad things involving poisoned senbons."

Sakura suppressed the urge to smile, despite herself and her leg and everything that had transpired that day. Kisame snorted, "It's still easier to protect information rather than people."

Kisame went on, "Then, I'll be going."

Sakura nodded behind Itachi as she tightened her grip around his shoulders. They began travelling in silence. Leaning her ear on his back, she recalled Kabuto's haunting words.

_Itachi's body is weak, and so are his chakra reserves. His circulatory system is badly damaged as well …Itachi is dying._

Subtly, carefully, Sakura nestled her head in the Uchiha's nape. If she wanted to verify Kabuto's statements, then there was no better chance than this.

As an apprentice of the top medic nin in the shinobi world, Sakura was taught by the Godaime to make a diagnosis of patients just by looking at them; if it was impossible to tell just by looking, then she can examine them by _listening _to the state of their internal organs. From there, she can deduce a patient's recovery rate, or even what type of poison had entered their system.

Leaning closely, Sakura strained to listen to the state of the Uchiha's internal organs.

After a short while, she slowly let go, then unconsciously leaned her forehead on Itachi's back, prompting him to look askance.

_Itachi is dying. _

Kabuto was not lying.

The Uchiha's organs sounded weak, when she listened to it, especially his lungs. Most likely there was some kind of poison that was circulating in his blood. From where it had originated, or how it had come to grow into his entire circulatory system, she did not know. All she knew was that it was not like the one that Kabuto had devised, the one that had been created out of iron elements, nor was it like any poison she had treated before that had come from extraneous elements. This poison seemed to come from his own blood.

Shutting her eyes close, she tightened her grip on him once more.

She was sure that he had been coughing up blood. But in her three-week stay with him, she had never seen him in such state.

_He must be hiding it, then. _

His system must be rejecting this kind of blood, because it was foreign to it. Kabuto had said something about him taking medicines for some time, and the reason he learned to drink sake.

_He never really drinks, but do you know why he drinks sake regularly? It's to keep his body warm, and to numb the pain, even for a while._

Feeling sick herself, Sakura exhaled softly behind his back. She never really noticed, until now. Maybe that was the reason why Kisame was so concerned about him during the rain. Maybe he did cough badly especially during rainy seasons. Sudden changes in the seasons were sure to accelerate his death. Or perhaps it was worse when he was using his techniques. After all, when they met he was nearing blindness because of his sharingan.

Even then, he had come to her rescue a lot of times.

She remained in the same position as before, with the Uchiha carrying her on his back as he leaped from tree to tree, while she held tight behind him. She momentarily closed her eyes, taking him in bit by bit, taking in long breaths his scent, that mixture of laundry soap, and rain, and his sweat, remembering the way his face became an inscrutable mask when he had attacked Kabuto, the way he had smiled when Kisame challenged him, the way he had looked at her intently the night before, asking her to stay, the way he said her name...and even the way she never sees him every time he protects her, ordering Kisame to stay by her side while he acted as their decoy.

For a moment Sakura hesitated, but finally found the courage to say it.

"Thank you, Itachi-san."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

1. If you're following the manga, you'd know that Kabuto and Itachi actually meet again.

2. Kabuto actually healed Sakura once when she was hit by Naruto in his Kyuubi form. :D

THANK YOU FOR READING! let me know what you think! :)


	13. Chapter 13: The Poison

**COLD**

**An ItaSaku fic **

**By: **Inosenteng Tabonista

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Poison **

The sky had cleared completely and stray rays of sun escaped through the foliage and to the stream before them. Sakura opened her eyes slowly, taking in the scene before her.

"It's beautiful," exclaimed Sakura.

It was as if she was seeing the forest with new eyes. She saw the bubbling brook, the trees pointing to the azure skies, and the birds, chirping, bidding her welcome. The scent of fresh pine trees and fruit trees and damp earth filled her senses, and Sakura marvelled at the irony of being surrounded by so much life, and yet with death not far behind them.

Itachi moved to walk on the gentle brook, laying her down quietly on top of it. He then performed the seals required for Sakura's access to chakra. Sakura sat on top of the water as she focused a little of her chakra on her lower body to avoid sinking.

_This is the best I can do. It will be too troublesome to look for herbs now. _

Gathering chakra into her right hand, Sakura began immediately. She molded chakra into a ball of water she got from the stream beneath her, with expert precision. The Uchiha moved to her side in silence, watching her like a hawk. With her left hand Sakura attempted to tear the clothing on her left leg, but fearing she might disturb her control on her right hand, she looked to Itachi for help.

Understanding, the Uchiha tore the clothing on her left leg and tossed it aside. Sakura gulped hard when she realized that her leg had become pale and cold and heavy, as she could not move it. Itachi's hand on her thigh was warm in comparison. Sakura blushed slightly as she realized that had it been a normal day, he would be holding her inappropriately. But then it was not, beginning with the fact that they were attacked by no other than the half-snake Kabuto.

Sakura blushed some more when she realized that Itachi had been watching the changes of expression in her face with an expectant look on his face. Without further delay, she began.

The first extraction was always most painful. Hot moisture of sweat stung at her eyelids as she began to push the chakra ball inside her legs. She could almost feel her muscles quiver. Sakura shredded her lip with her teeth in pain. The chakra ball had now fully entered her thigh, and she began pulling the poison out using her chakra. Her leg convulsed violently, as if taking life on its own. The Uchiha held her leg down firmly.

Sakura choked back a cry. She had done this with unconscious patients, but she did not know it would be this painful when done on herself, consciously. In the heat of the moment of Kabuto's attack she had not noticed that her life had seemed to have been dangling by a thread as she looked at the chakra ball, which was filled with small red spots.

"Red poison?" said Sakura, as she panted heavily, her left leg shaking incontrollably from the extraction process.

_If made with iron elements, this poison should be a bit purplish. Why is it dark red? _

Tossing the poison carefully to the ground beside her, she exhaled heavily, her mind tinkering with the possibilities.

_This is not only made of iron elements. _

Creating another chakra ball, she began the second extraction on her lower thigh, near her knees. She was sure the poison had not spread to any of her internal organs just yet, because if it had, she would have felt it immediately.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she finally realized what it was as she looked at the second chakra ball as she pulled it out. It was _empty._ Indeed, the senbon cannot possibly contain too much poison, but it was surprising for her not to see anything in the second chakra ball. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sakura frowned as the Uchiha spoke.

"I see the same red dots, Sakura," said the Uchiha. Turning to him, Sakura saw that he had activated his sharingan. "They're far smaller than the last."

Frowning some more in confusion, Sakura carefully tossed the chakra ball aside. She was perspiring and shaking at the same time, especially her leg.

"We're done, I think," replied Sakura. She could hear a loud pounding in her ears, as she began to panic.

Standing up, she went to the side of the brook and sat under a large tree, as the Uchiha did the same.

_Blood. The poison in the senbon had two types of elements: iron, and blood, which is almost certainly poisonous by itself. _

Furious, gritting her teeth until they ached, Sakura forced herself to calm down, take a breath and get herself in hand.

_This type of poison can be detected with sharingan, but only because sharingan can see chakra inside the ball she made and can see that the chakra was not pure, but had mixed with poison. _

Sakura clenched her fists in inexplicable anger. Whatever strength she thought she had seemed to have abandoned her. _Gather a little strength. Then you can think._

It would take days before the poison would mix with her blood completely. But because she was able to extract everything from her leg, she was probably safe. Besides, that type of poison was not meant to kill instantly. It would probably take a couple of days, especially since the senbon hit her leg, and not a vital organ. In Kisame's case, he couldn't possibly die because of the enormous chakra he has, which gives him the innate ability to heal himself.

_Poisonous blood._

Sakura began to wonder about it. She had only heard about poisonous blood from Tsunade before, who once explained Orochimaru's medical abilities. She once said that he was able to create various kinds of poisons and from there create cursed seals. These poisons' chief element was Orochimaru's own blood. Orochimaru's own blood was not poisonous per se, but had mutated due to various experiments. The mixture with various chemicals and life energies with the vessels he possessed created a special kind of poisonous blood. Orochimaru's mutated blood had the capacity not to kill, but to damage and destroy cells, especially those of the circulatory system. The process was slow and painful, but sure.

Color drained from her face. Sakura's leg had stopped shaking as if on cue, but her heart was pounding against her ribcage erratically. There was something _odd_ about all this, something she was not seeing. Kabuto's words resonated in her ears.

_Itachi's body is weak, and so are his chakra reserves. His circulatory system is badly damaged as well… As a medic nin you know this can't be healed with medical ninjutsu._

Sakura shuddered at the sudden realization, recalling Kisame's words as they were bickering about the senbons a while ago.

_Poisoned, Itachi-san...And that guy knew what poison would affect me._

Sakura looked sideways to Itachi, who sat beside her silently, unaware of the thoughts that raged through her mind.

_After defecting from Akatsuki ten years ago, it seems he hasn't forgotten about Itachi-san._

Orochimaru had poisoned Itachi.

Kabuto's words reverberated in her mind, and she now realized, belatedly, that they were pregnant with meaning.

_I am a spy, Sakura. There's a difference. _

Sakura suddenly felt her lungs heavy inside her, and she found it hard to breath. Some years before, when the snake wielder had the chance, he poisoned the elder Uchiha with blood that had gone undetected by Sharingan eyes, because it had no iron elements to make it noticeable. How Orochimaru was able to do it and when, the kunoichi had no idea. But one thing was sure, and she verified it a while ago: Uchiha Itachi's circulatory system was badly damaged, consistent with what Kabuto had said. The poisonous blood had already mixed thoroughly with his own.

Sakura gritted her teeth in determination.

_As a medic nin you know this can't be healed with medical ninjutsu._

There was a way to heal it. And it seemed that Kabuto had been completely about one thing, because he cannot be healed with medical ninjutsu.

Kneeling beside the Uchiha, Sakura formed the seals taught to her not by the Godaime, but by one of Sunagakure's late elders Chiyo-baasama, then began channelling chakra to her hands.

_Start with the vital organs._

At this point, she already had the Uchiha's attention. His face remained an inscrutable mask as he watched her guide her hands to his chest. Not long after, his eyes narrowed intently, his face rapt with attention.

"This is not medical ninjutsu," he said with measured words.

A drop of sweat made its way to her eyelids. Sakura resisted the urge to wipe it as she felt life energy flow from her. "You're terribly ill Itachi-san. Just stay put. I'll be finished in a while."

For the first time since they had stayed together, Itachi's eyes widened in something close to surprise. He laid his hands on hers, forcing her to stop her chakra flow. Sakura looked up at the Uchiha who shook his head 'no'.

"Itachi-san," Sakura burst out angrily, "I'm doing this for you. I'm helping you, all right? Because you're dying."

"And you'll die if you continue with this. This is a life transfer technique."

"I know what it is. I won't die," Sakura snapped.

Itachi was undeterred, as his hold on both her hands tightened slightly. "I am a missing nin, Sakura."

Sakura ignored his retort. "You need healing—"

"People live their lives by what they see as right and true, Sakura," the Uchiha began quietly. "You say I need healing, but this is my reality."

"No," Sakura went on, adamantly, "Death is not your reality."

Itachi regarded her with interest, without ever letting her hands go. "You're living in a dream world, Sakura."

"Damn you, Uchiha Itachi," hissed Sakura, deliberately omitting the honorific she normally attached to his name as Sasuke-kun's older brother. "I'm trying to help you, and all you tell me is I'm living in my dream world."

Itachi's brows furrowed slightly then he let her hands go. A pause, then, "why are you helping me, Sakura?"

The Uchiha was as calm as ever, infuriating the pink haired kunoichi even more. "I don't want any unnecessary deaths. Besides," she added hotly, "you're not as bad as they say you are. You had saved me a lot of times."

Itachi regarded her indifferently, but with a hint of amusement in his voice. "That is an assumption on your part, Sakura." Then he added, "You are more useful to me alive than dead."

Before she was able to stop herself, Sakura unexpectedly stood up, picked the discarded clothing from her pants, and threw it at the Uchiha.

Standing up just as quickly, Itachi caught the fabric in his hands and flung it aside.

"You are cold, Itachi," she began heatedly, "just when I think I'm seeing a different side of you, that perhaps there was a reason for all your actions, that perhaps Kabuto was wrong when he said you were simply using me to draw Sasuke-kun out, that perhaps there was something behind those inscrutable eyes of yours, a shred of humanity, then perhaps…" she broke off, panting.

Silence.

Sakura went on, "You still saved me from Kabuto. You saved me from those rogues before. You even healed me. Were those lies, Itachi?" She panted heavily, then went on, "You asked me to stay, when you could've easily killed me last night. Were you lying then?"

Itachi's face showed no trace of emotion. "Everything had simply worked for my convenience, Sakura."

Sakura had lost all self-control when the irrepressible longing to slap him finally overtook her. In a flash her left hand shot up only to meet his steel like grip. But her reflexes were in good shape. Sakura's right hand almost automatically went up after he caught her left wrist.

But he was fast, and he held both her wrists in a one grip. Sakura gritted her teeth in dismay, no longer planning a counterattack. He was too fast for her, and fatigue was setting in.

"Those cold, merciless eyes of yours…" she spat, "I had hoped to see warmth beneath them."

"You're living in a dream world if you think that every person has good in them, Sakura."

Completely drained of energy, Sakura managed a feeble smile, "I am. Because my dream world is infinitely better than your reality."

Gritting her teeth in sadness and anger at herself, Sakura mentally berated herself for showing so much pain and hurt, especially before a man like Itachi. She was a nuisance, she concluded silently, even to herself. In her younger years as a genin, there were times when she actually believed that she was not fit to be a shinobi, because she was a fool who could not follow the basic shinobi rule of concealing emotions. Now she just bared her soul before him, and she was a complete, utter fool.

"Forgive me, Sakura."

Before she had time to think, the Uchiha closed the gap between them as his mouth closed hotly over her lips. The action was so unexpected that Sakura parted her lips at once in a gasp, but she only gave the Uchiha the entrance he sought. She placed her hands on his chest at once to resist, as she groaned in protest but strength had left her. His kiss was hard, and desperate, and Sakura felt her self-control slipping away from grasp. His hand circled her waist and with his other hand he cupped her face, tunneling his fingers into her hair as he tilted her head back to receive his kiss.

Unable to think but only feel the different sensations his touch was giving her, Sakura sagged in his grip. She felt his hands find their way over her collarbone, over her shirt, down to her waist. His hands held her firmly by the waist, then moved up to her naked thigh, wandering, exploring the supple skin beneath the black shirt.

At this, Sakura was jolted awake. She broke away from him, but could not stop the tears, as well as her words, as they came.

"A-are you," she stammered slightly, tears leaking to her face, "going to rape me, Itachi?"

They stood inches apart, her chest meeting his in every rise and fall, as the Uchiha released her slowly, gently. He regarded her sobbing form silently. Sakura felt his body tense suddenly against hers.

"If it happens between us, it will not be rape, Sakura."

Sakura felt herself redden, despite herself, as she lowered her gaze. "Not this way, then, Itachi," Sakura replied evenly, meeting his gaze. "I wanted to heal you because I didn't want you to die. Not before you've forgiven yourself. I didn't want anything in return."

"I won't die so easily, Sakura," he returned, his voice dropping a register. "So don't cry just yet."

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, Sakura replied, "I'm crying because you won't. You didn't cry when you killed your family. You didn't cry when you deserted your village. And now you won't cry even when you know you're dying." Her voice hoarse with emotion, Sakura muttered, "If you won't cry, I will, for you."

Tension hung in the air and weighed her body down. Sakura felt naked, though fully clothed, as his gaze never left her, boring into the recesses of her soul. Sakura only hoped that her words would reach him, that her emotions would.

"This," Itachi leaned over and whispered to her as he wiped a tear from her face "is your weakness."

"No, Itachi," she said, her eyes never leaving his, "it is yours."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

THANK YOU FOR READING! drop me a review while you're at it!

To **Auelle: **Thank you so much for your review! i hope you liked this! :)


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